UniteGPS – On Jan. 5, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) gave her first State of the State Address and released a 237-page document outlining plans for a complete electric school bus fleet by 2035.
In the entitled “State of State Book,” the official proposed legislation to require every new bus purchase by 2027 to be zero-emission in hopes of improving public health.
On page 161, it states that if cities like New York were to only have electric school buses, it would be the equivalent of taking nearly 650,000 vehicles off the road.
To enable all 50,000 statewide school buses to convert to clean energy, the future legislation will provide schools with the materials to build electric bus infrastructure, like charging stations.
The new legislation will also erase the prevailing five-year limitation of bus contracts for school districts.
This news comes after the New York City Council passed a bill in Oct. requiring all of its 9,500 school buses to go electric by Sept. 1, 2035.
How the state has prepared for upcoming changes for Entry-Level Driver Training has yet to be determined, however.