The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US

This report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) analyzes the adoption of electric school buses (ESBs) in the United States as of March 31, 2022. It tracks 'committed' buses—those awarded funding, ordered, delivered, or in operation—highlighting a significant increase in commitments driven by large-scale contracts and specific funding sources like the Volkswagen Settlement. The report also examines the distribution of these buses across different demographics and pollution levels to assess the equity of the transition.

• As of March 31, 2022, there were 12,275 committed electric school buses across 38 U.S. states, representing a nearly 10-fold increase since WRI began tracking in August 2021. A substantial portion of this growth is attributed to a single agreement between bus dealer Midwest Transit Equipment and manufacturer SEA Electric to convert 10,000 school buses to electric over five years.
• While commitments have risen, actual deployment remains low, with only about 5% of committed electric school buses currently delivered or operational. The average time from the awarding of funds to delivery is approximately 16 months, though this has varied from under three months to over three years, with COVID-19 pandemic supply chain issues causing further delays.
• California is the leader in ESB adoption with over 1,000 committed buses, which is three times the amount of the next highest state, Maryland. The Volkswagen (VW) Settlement is the largest funding source for ESBs overall, used by 26 of the 38 states with commitments. Other major funding sources are concentrated in California, including the School Bus Replacement Program and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP).
• The market is dominated by larger bus types, specifically Type C and Type D. Type C buses make up 70% of committed ESBs, while Type D buses account for 19%. Among manufacturers, Thomas Built Buses has the highest number of commitments, but Blue Bird leads in the number of buses delivered or in operation.
• ESB adoption shows promising trends regarding equity and air quality. Nearly 80% of electric school buses are located in districts with high populations of non-white and/or Hispanic people. Furthermore, buses have mostly been committed by districts experiencing the highest levels of PM2.5 air pollution. However, the report notes that most buses are still located in the highest-income quartile of school districts.
• The EPA's Clean School Bus Program is expected to further scale adoption by awarding at least $500 million annually specifically for electric school buses, with a priority on tribal, rural, or low-income and high-need schools.

APA

Freehafer, L., & Lazer, L. (2021). The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-11/electric-school-bus-adoption-insights-june-2022.pdf

Chicago

Freehafer, Lydia, and Leah Lazer. The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US. World Resources Institute, 2021. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-11/electric-school-bus-adoption-insights-june-2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Freehafer |first1=Lydia |last2=Lazer |first2=Leah |title=The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=5 August 2021 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-11/electric-school-bus-adoption-insights-june-2022.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{freehafer2021state, author = {Freehafer, Lydia and Lazer, Leah}, title = {{The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-11/electric-school-bus-adoption-insights-june-2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }