A few school districts in upstate New York have bought into the Green New Deal electric bus schtick and are freezing kids and drivers as a result.

This report sets the stage. 

The state’s mandate to electrify its entire school bus fleet by 2035 has been met with questions and misinformation. But a World Resources Institute report finds many benefits to switching from diesel buses, which emit pollutants harmful to kids’ health.

While cold weather can impact electric school bus operations, Sue Gander, electric school bus initiative director with the World Resources Institute, said there are ways around these challenges.

“Things like pre-heating the vehicle so you’re able to have a full charge when it’s time to go,” said Gander. “There are different driving techniques and using things like regenerative braking that recharges the battery while on the road, and making use of that.” [emphasis added]

In order to ensure a school bus is fully operable in heavy snow and bitter 20 degree or lower cold, which is usual for upstate New York at this time of year, drivers and mechanics have to game plan workarounds so that the buses will HOPEFULLY stay fully operational during their bus routes.

Well, that certainly briefs well. Only one BIG very COLD problem with all of that. 

“My grandson came home from school last week when it was 23 degrees,” Urbino said. “He said they didn’t have heat. He came in cold, and I told him, I said, ‘Isn’t the bus warm?’ And he said, ’No, they can’t put the heat on because it drains the battery.’”

That’s just great. Freeze the kids so the buses can keep running. Oh and there’s another problem in addition to having the kids ride their route in ice-cold buses. It’s when the buses QUIT mid-route that things get worse.

“The bus broke down on route,” explained Chris Lampman, another concerned parent whose son allegedly had to stand outside in the freezing cold as a result. “They deployed a substitute bus, and the bus was more than 30 minutes late. My son stood outside for over 35 minutes waiting for a bus that wasn’t coming. Some of those kids are on there for upwards of a half hour or more while the bus makes its route. There’s no reason that the kids should freeze for all that time.”

Stop and think about that for a minute. This is the Buffalo, New York area. An area that gets totally dumped with snow and freezing temperatures every winter. The electric bus stopped dead in its tracks halfway through the route in freezing temps. It took over THIRTY MINUTES for a substitute bus to arrive?? 

The NY Department of Education has a helpful guide as to why icicle buses are so beneficial for the children and the environment. 

1. Cleaner Air for Growing Children
We all know that engine exhaust can be a health and safety risk. That risk is even higher for growing children, and it is highest for children with longer bus rides. Electric school buses produce zero tailpipe emissions – unlike diesel- and gas-powered engines – which pollute the air and pose a serious public health risk.

~Snip

3. Healthier Transportation Boosts Attendance
Today’s ESBs can travel up to 200 miles on a single charge. That’s plenty of range for most New York State school buses, which travel an average of about 80 miles per day, even when factoring in New York State’s hilly terrains and cold weather. ESBs are not only a safe and reliable way of getting kids to school, but they can also help keep kids in school since ESBs don’t expose students to emissions linked to asthma, a leading cause of health-related school absenteeism.

Let me tell you something. Riding in a freezing bus or having to sit in or stand outside a dead bus in 20 degree, or lower, temperatures isn’t healthy by any stretch of the imagination. 

And let’s talk about the safety risk shall we? It’s one hell of a safety risk to have an electric bus quit working in freezing and/or below freezing temps or a snow storm leaving driver and kids stranded. 

I grew up in Wyoming. I grew up with winters where the wind chill during the day will drop the temperature a good 15-20 degrees. I’m talking temps in the 10’s or even lower. Now factor in an electric bus breaking down leaving drivers and kids stranded for 30 minutes or more. THINK ABOUT THAT. 

The district’s response was infuriating.

“District procedures are that heat remains on for the full duration of student transportation. All routes are planned so that the electric bus battery capacity is more than sufficient to support both the route and continuous heating, even in winter weather,” Johnson said in a statement. “The district values its transportation staff and continues to provide training and support to ensure students and staff are safely transported. We appreciate the efforts of our staff as we navigate our transition to electric buses as required by NYS.”

Well, that’s a bus load of icy horseshit right there. 

Notice something? The news report carefully ensures no snow is visible through entire report. Except Erie County had, on the same day of the report, at least 2-5″ of snow on the ground! 

Virtue signaling with electric buses is a much higher priority than the safety of our kids and the bus drivers.

ROAD TEMPERATURES: As of 3:30 PM the road temperatures in and around the Binghamton NY area are at freezing. Any untreated roads may be slippery or icy! #NYwx #PAwx pic.twitter.com/mgWIBHbRyW

— Mark Tarello (@mark_tarello) December 19, 2025

Freezing kids is a small price to pay for those mandated electric buses sitting DOA in the middle of the road.  

Feature Photo Credit: school bus covered in snow via iStock, cropped and modified