Less than 40% of electric school buses purchased under a multibillion-dollar Biden-era program have been delivered, new statistics released by the EPA Thursday reveal.
The slow pace of deliveries, coupled with concerns over the reliability of the EV buses, have prompted many school districts to pull out of the $5 billion “Clean School Bus Program,” for which some $2.7 billion in taxpayer funds has already been doled out — and almost exclusively on electric buses versus other alternative fuel vehicles.
“Instead of following Congress’ directives to effectively provide safe and reliable transportation for American school kids, the Biden-Harris administration rushed money out the door without enough thought or oversight,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.
“This carelessness resulted in 90% of the money going to ‘buy’ electric school buses; yet over 5 years later, there are very few tangible buses to show for it,” Zeldin continued. “In essence, American taxpayer dollars vanished into thin air, and our children were left without school buses.”
Under the program guidelines, 50% of the federal money was meant for EV buses while the other half was intended for other types of “clean” transportation methods, like biofuel, liquified natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen or propane vehicles.
Of the 2,600 buses (and associated charging infrastructure) ordered, only 60 were propane, according to the EPA, which said “almost all” propane buses have been delivered to school districts.
The rest were EV buses.
Of those, around 1,100 have been delivered; 854 are behind schedule; and 140 will never be delivered, based on the EPA’s count, which was provided to The Post.
At least one manufacturer, Lion Electric, went bankrupt in 2024 after taking $160 million in taxpayer money.
Another, Highland Electric, touts receiving more than $150 million Clean School Bus funding but has faced “significant management issues,” according to the EPA, including “not having contracts with school districts” and “not having proper oversight of the money.”
A third company, First Student, secured $401 million in Clean School Bus funding but is “behind schedule on 2/3 of the electric school buses they were supposed to deliver” to 37 school districts, the EPA found.
Kevin Matthews, head of electrification at First Student, said in a statement that the company is “committed to deploying all the electric school buses awarded to us through EPA’s Clean School Bus Program.”
“We’re on track to have more than 1,000 electric school buses on the road by the end of this school year, and we’re approaching 12 million electric miles driven,” he added. “This progress reflects our continued investment in electrification and our commitment to bringing cleaner transportation options to the communities we serve.”
A spokesperson for Highland Electric said the company and its partners have delivered “almost 500 electric school buses” funded through the EPA Clean School Bus Program, and about 300 more are being manufactured for delivery in the coming months.
The company is “in compliance with program rules” and “communicates daily with the EPA regarding our Clean School Bus projects,” the representative added.
Duncan McIntyre, the CEO and founder of Highland Electric, said his company is focused on “giving American children a healthier way to get to school.”
“These are long-term partnerships with school districts across America, and we’ve seen firsthand what they can mean for children and families,” McIntyre said. “Research shows that replacing just five diesel school buses with electric buses reduces the risk of pediatric asthma for approximately 1,500 students. A quieter, smoother ride can also make the trip to school more comfortable for students with special needs and sensory sensitivities.”
The agency estimates that about 46,000 children will not be riding on new school buses this year because of delays and failures to deliver from several EV busmakers.
The EPA pegged the average cost per bus purchased through the Biden-era program at over $1 million.
New diesel and propane buses typically cost less than $200,000. The average EV school bus sells for about $300,000-$400,000.
The EV buses that have been delivered have also been plagued with problems, including mechanical issues, recalls, being too tall to get under some overpasses and having less range on single charge than advertised.
“It’s scary when the potential benefit doesn’t feel much better than a potential negative,” Dale Munn, the business manager of New York’s Gouverneur Central School District, said of EV buses in an interview with the New York Times.
The district spent some $1 million to electrify two of its 28 buses, with the state covering the majority of the cost, according to the outlet.
The EPA said about 33% of school districts have pulled out of the Clean School Bus program due to reasons ranging from cost overruns and delays to safety concerns.
Zeldin has promised sweeping changes to the program before the rest of the congressionally-approved funding is distributed.
The EPA has already frozen all outgoing money for the program and is currently reviewing feedback from fleet operators, manufacturers, school officials and energy producers “on a broad range of fuel options that school bus sectors could use,” according to the agency.
The agency is also planning to issue a new Notice of Funding Opportunity in November for the next round of Clean School Bus grant applicants. Under the revamped program, the EPA appears poised to take a closer look at biofuel, CNG, LNG and hydrogen buses, rather than EVs.
“The Biden-Harris administration left us with a mess, as evident from the damning statistics we have uncovered,” Zeldin fumed. “The Trump EPA has meticulously reviewed the ‘Clean School Bus’ program with a fine-tooth comb and is committed to implementation in a way that maximizes benefits to American children, the environment, and taxpayers.”
