The Electric School Bus Series: How Austin's School Board Resolution Created a Path for Cleaner Rides for Kids

Austin ISD passed a resolution in September 2022 to transition its entire school bus fleet to electric by 2035, with a goal of 100% electric purchases by 2030. The initiative aligns with Austin's city-wide 2040 net-zero goal and is supported by a $2.4 billion bond, though the district faces funding challenges because electric buses cost three to four times more than diesel models. The district has started a pilot with three electric buses arriving in fall 2023.

• In September 2022, the Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD) Board of Trustees passed a resolution committing the district to purchase exclusively electric school buses by 2030, with the goal of full fleet electrification by 2035. The resolution includes incremental purchase targets: 25% by 2023, 50% by 2027, and 100% by 2030.
• The transition is intended to align with the city of Austin's Climate Equity Plan, which targets net-zero community-wide emissions by 2040. The resolution specifically aims to improve student health by removing particulate matter (PM) and nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions, while also seeking fuel and maintenance cost savings and exploring vehicle-to-grid (V2G) potential.
• Austin ISD has initiated a pilot program by ordering three IC electric buses from Longhorn Bus Sales: two 71-passenger Type C buses costing $376,507 each and one 47-passenger Type C bus with a lift costing $376,229. These buses are expected to arrive in fall 2023.
• Funding the initial transition is identified as the greatest challenge. Because the 2022 Bond request was finalized before the electric school bus resolution, the estimate for bus replacement was based on diesel prices rather than electric buses, which are three to four times more expensive.

APA

World Resources Institute (2023). The Electric School Bus Series: How Austin's School Board Resolution Created a Path for Cleaner Rides for Kids. https://www.wri.org/update/electric-school-bus-series-how-austins-school-board-resolution-created-path-cleaner-rides

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The Electric School Bus Series: How Austin's School Board Resolution Created a Path for Cleaner Rides for Kids. 2023. https://www.wri.org/update/electric-school-bus-series-how-austins-school-board-resolution-created-path-cleaner-rides.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The Electric School Bus Series: How Austin's School Board Resolution Created a Path for Cleaner Rides for Kids |date=30 May 2023 |url=https://www.wri.org/update/electric-school-bus-series-how-austins-school-board-resolution-created-path-cleaner-rides |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2023electric, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The Electric School Bus Series: How Austin's School Board Resolution Created a Path for Cleaner Rides for Kids}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.wri.org/update/electric-school-bus-series-how-austins-school-board-resolution-created-path-cleaner-rides}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }