California wants to use electric school buses statewide; leaders of rural schools don't think that's realistic

Students board a diesel school bus at Lassen High
School. (Photo by Irfan Khan, Los Angeles Times)

Electric school buses might be an environmentally friendly transportation solution for more urban California, but its rural education leaders don't think the technology is safe or reasonable. "In California's vast northern rural school districts, with their mountain passes and long, snowy winters, the typical electric bus' range is not nearly enough," reports Hailey Branson-Potts of the Los Angeles Times. "Yet California is pushing schools to get rid of their air-polluting diesel buses. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation requiring all newly purchased or leased school buses in California to be zero-emission starting in 2035. Rural school districts can have up to 10 additional years to fulfill the requirement if they can prove the vehicles are impractical for their routes and terrain."

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Rural educators do not think EV technology will match their needs even with the added 10 years. Lassen Union High School is located in Susanville, a remote town in corner of northeast California. District Superintendent Morgan Nugent told Branson-Potts: "The last thing we want to do is have kids stuck on the side of the road in a dead electric bus. Especially in the snow. We want to do our best for our environment. We live up here in the mountains. We want to see our resources protected. But we have to be realistic."

"In a state facing wildfires, droughts, extreme heat and other deadly consequences of the climate crisis, California lawmakers and air regulators have implemented some of the world's most aggressive electric-vehicle mandates, to be phased in over the next two decades," Branson-Potts reports. "But here in California's conservative northern reaches, residents say that urban Democrats like Newsom are failing to acknowledge the limitations of electric vehicles in rural areas. . . . Going electric will be tough for all rural residents, considering the long distances they drive on lonely roads. For the humble yellow school bus, the hurdles are even greater, as are the consequences of running out of juice in the middle of nowhere."

While rural California educators often support clean energy, they also accept that it may not be possible. Gabi Newman, a coach at Lassen High, told Branson-Potts, "I like that we're looking at ways to use renewable energy. I just don't know how practical it will be for us." Branson-Potts reports, "At the Lassen Union High School District, officials say their four battery-powered buses can go at most 93 miles on a full charge in peak weather conditions. The buses mostly stay parked."