Created by Sahana Chaudhuri in Greenbelt, Maryland

In my 12 years of riding public school bus transportation as a disabled student, I have rarely been picked up on time. While this may initially seem like a small inconvenience, it’s a clear example of systemic shortcomings. When students with disabilities are picked up from their homes and arrive at school much later than their able-bodied peers, our educational access and opportunities are put on hold. I’ve also learned that my disabled peers have regularly ridden on school buses without proper wheelchair access. It’s become clear to me that the transportation system fails disabled students.

The way that the school bus transportation works in my county is that school bus fleets pick up able-bodied students from their bus stops, and because adequate transportation is a big problem in my county, oftentimes school buses have to complete multiple runs to get all students dropped at their respective schools. However, this causes a major detriment to disabled students who aren’t part of the initial bus runs. Because disabled students require being picked up directly from their homes, as opposed to being picked up along with 20 other students from bus stops, we simply aren’t seen as a priority. Instead, we are one of the last groups of students to be picked up by the school bus.

The issue doesn’t only stop there. School buses themselves can be very inaccessible for students with disabilities. Stairs on school buses can be steep, which is especially difficult for students who struggle with mobility. For students who use wheelchairs or walkers, most school buses don’t have a ramp that can extend outwards for getting on and off the bus. Additionally, school bus aisles are simply not wide enough for someone using a walker or wheelchair.

However, students with physical disabilities aren’t the only ones who suffer. School buses can be super noisy, which can create overstimulation and stress for those who have sound sensitivity. Even the sheer amount of diesel fumes that are emitted from school buses can cause headaches and dizziness for students. One of my friends who uses a trach tube especially faces trouble with breathing while on the school bus. For a system designed to be universal, there are many issues with my current public school bus system.

Electric school buses have the opportunity to serve as a major solution for the pitfalls of diesel school buses. Electric school buses have no tailpipes, which means they produce no harmful emissions that could possibly affect those with asthma or other respiratory illnesses that cause students to struggle with breathing. They are also up to 20 decibels quieter than diesel school buses, which would be helpful for those with sound sensitivity. With the addition of a heating unit, electric school buses can also have the option to allow students to self-regulate the heating of their seats. This is something I could see myself benefiting from, since my muscles tend to cramp up and stiffen during cold temperatures. They can also allow for the easier inclusion of wheelchair lifts and ramps that also operate electrically.* The route-planning for electric school buses is also much more deliberate due to their charging needs, meaning that pick-up and drop-off times could be more reliable for disabled students.

Unfortunately, my school district has not been working to transition to electric school bus fleets, and I think the main reason for this is the higher purchase price of electric school buses. A transition would also require extensive planning due to the large size of my school district and the consideration of the rural areas of the district which would have limited charging access. However, the benefits of electric school buses have become clear to me, and I hope that school districts consider that by participating in a transition they would collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel savings, as well as be much more environmentally considerate. I look forward to seeing further electric school bus discussion and implementation, especially because they present the opportunity to transform access for students with disabilities by prioritizing their specific needs.

Sahana is a student at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, class of 2025.

Hear from more youth voices in Students for Electric School Buses.