NEW ANALYSIS: California, New York, Illinois lead the conversion to cleaner electric school buses

DENVER – California, New York and Illinois are the top three states for total electric school buses, according to a new analysis released Thursday by U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Environment America Research & Policy Center. The three states also lead the nation in combined federal and state investments into electric bus fleets. With nearly a half million school buses shuttling kids back and forth across the United States this fall, electric school buses have zero tailpipe emissions and therefore offer a cleaner, healthier alternative to traditional diesel buses.  

“Electric school buses eliminate harmful pollution that too many kids breathe every day just to get to and from school,” said Danny Katz, CoPIRG Foundation executive director and author of the 2024 State of Electric School Buses report. “We applaud the hundreds of school districts that are taking advantage of billions of state and federal dollars to switch to cleaner electric school buses.”

Whether they transport kids to school, field trips or sporting events, most school buses burn diesel fuel. This exposes children and drivers to harmful pollutants that are linked to asthma and other health issues, as well as cognitive development problems. The emissions from diesel buses also contribute to global warming. 

According to the World Resources Institute, the United States now has 12,000 electric school buses, either in operation or coming soon, in more than 1,500 school districts. Beyond California, New York and Illinois, other top states include Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, Virginia and Georgia.

Historic federal and state funding is driving the conversion to electric school buses across the country. In addition to California, New York and Illinois, which are the top three states for total federal and state funding for electric school buses, Texas, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts round out the top ten. 

U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Environment America Research & Policy Center encourage school districts to aggressively pursue electric vehicle funding to accelerate their conversion to a 100% electric school bus fleet. The groups also call on states, local governments and utilities to increase funding and reduce barriers to these cleaner electric school buses. 

“It’s never been easier to convert to fully electric bus fleets,” said Katz. “Student safety is always a priority, whether they’re on the bus or in the school itself. Ensuring that our kids can breathe clean, unpolluted air is another step we need to take so we can keep them safe, healthy and ready to learn.”