District proposes 20 new buses; staff recommends a mixed plan and contingency language for EV funding and infrastructure

Shenendehowa transportation staff presented a proposed fleet replacement plan to the Board of Education that would replace 20 vehicles and include contingencies to add electric buses if grant funding and yard power upgrades are available.

Transportation staff proposed purchasing 13 Type‑C (66‑passenger) buses, five smaller Type‑A buses (about 30 passengers) and two 24‑passenger buses equipped for wheelchair securement, a 20‑vehicle package intended to maintain a “young, healthy fleet” for safety and reliability. Staff also presented an alternative package that would include two electric buses if external funding (NYSERDA or other grants) and site power improvements could be completed in time.

“One model requires several contingencies to happen before we can move forward,” the presenter said, citing voter approval for the capital expenditure, completion of capital‑project infrastructure work and available funding. Staff emphasized that the bus depot’s existing power infrastructure supports the district’s four current EV chargers but is not sized to charge many additional electric buses without upgrades to transformers and distribution equipment.

Why it matters: state policy proposals would require future purchases to be electric beginning in the mid‑2020s, and staff said the district must balance that mandate with current local capacity and cost. Meeting discussion noted a near‑term purchase requirement in state proposals (identified in the meeting as around 2027) and a longer‑term fleet conversion timeline referenced as 2035; staff said different legislative proposals are under consideration and that local approvals and funding remain decisive.

Costs and funding: staff showed per‑vehicle price differences and said combustion engine 66‑passenger bus pricing was quoted in the meeting as roughly “one eighty‑four” (noted in the presentation). With grant offsets (for example, NYSERDA), the per‑bus differential could be reduced — staff cited a $40,000 per‑bus gap in one slide depending on available funding — but stressed that EV buses remain substantially more expensive and that ordering timelines depend on having a confirmed depot completion date. Staff said NYSERDA applications were submitted where possible but cautioned that some federal funding streams (EPA, other grants) have restrictive eligibility and are not guaranteed.

Infrastructure and timing: staff and outside engineers are working with National Grid and project architects to determine the feasible location and scope of power upgrades at the bus compound. Staff warned that trenching, transformer work and other site work take time and must be coordinated with an existing capital‑construction plan; staff said they prefer to avoid digging twice and therefore want fixed design decisions now to align with any larger referendum work. The presentation noted that SED approvals, transformer capacity and construction‑timing considerations all affect whether purchased EV buses could be delivered and charged for winter operations.

Board members asked whether the district could maintain a healthy fleet if it delayed EV purchases until infrastructure is in place. Staff said the district can likely maintain operations for about five years with a high degree of confidence under the mixed replacement plan but that longer horizons introduce uncertainty as maintenance costs for older combustion buses rise and state policy evolves.

Ending: Staff proposed referendum language with contingencies — approving vehicle purchases conditioned on available funding and completed infrastructure — so voters would know what the district will do if grants and power upgrades materialize. The board did not take a purchase vote at the meeting; staff will continue engineering work, funding applications and refine referendum language for the board’s consideration.