Statement: Bill expanding electric school buses passes California Assembly

SACRAMENTO — On Friday morning, the California State Assembly passed AB 2731, a bill that would require all purchases of new school buses be zero-emission beginning in 2035. The bill now moves to the State Senate, where it will have to be passed and then signed by the governor before becoming law.

In California, nearly 25,000 school buses drive more than 230 million miles every year. The state is already a leader in the transition to electric school buses, with some districts like LAUSD committed to a 100% electric fleet, and Twin Rivers Unified boasting the largest fleet of electric school buses in the country. This bill would set the stage for California to become an even stronger national leader in electric school bus adoption.

Sander Kushen, CALPIRG’s State Advocate, issued the following statement:

“This is a big step for our children’s health and our climate. For too long, kids have been forced to endure a daily dose of toxic pollution from their rides to school on traditional diesel buses. Electric school buses are better in almost every way: They’re better for the air, our climate, and they even offer long-term cost savings for districts. We want to thank Assemblymember Phil Ting for his leadership on this issue, and we look forward to supporting this bill as it moves to the state Senate.”

Learn more about CALPIRG’s “Electric Buses for California” campaign here.
Read our report: Accelerating the Transition to Electric School Buses