Statement of New York State School Boards Association on Delay of Zero Emission Bus Mandate

FOR RELEASE: May 20, 2026

The New York State School Boards Association welcomes the five-year delay of the zero-emission school bus mandate.

We appreciate that Gov. Kathy Hocul and our legislative leaders heard our members’ concerns about the viability of moving to an all-electric school bus fleet under the mandate’s previous deadlines.

While we are supportive of protecting our environment, we must also ensure that school buses have the necessary battery-life to safely deliver our children to school and back home again. There are budget, power grid and support infrastructure challenges that must also be overcome to enable the smooth transition to electric buses.

By pushing the purchase deadline back to 2032 and the 100% ZEB fleet deadline back to 2040, the governor and Legislature have created a window for school districts, bus manufacturers and utility companies to continue to work on solutions to these challenges.