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Superintendent warns electric-bus timeline may be infeasible after nearby bus fires
Summary
Doctor Meyer told the board that a recent incident in Williston where four buses were destroyed and about $2 million in damage occurred underscores infrastructure, cost and safety uncertainties; the district lacks local power capacity and electric buses cost about twice conventional buses, so the superintendent said the state timeline may not be feasible without further study.
Superintendent Doctor Meyer updated the board on the districts outreach to NYSERDA regarding an electric-bus transition and warned that the timeline the state has provided appears unrealistic for the district. He referenced a recent incident in nearby Williston in which four buses were severely damaged by fire and said the event underscores both safety and infrastructure concerns.
"If you haven't seen the pictures, you should take a look... about $2,000,000 in damage," Doctor Meyer said, adding that without a study the district cannot determine charger capacity, fleet-size changes or the true cost differential. On price, Meyer said electric buses are "about twice the price of a normal bus," and that local power-company capacity and space constraints mean the district may need a study and likely infrastructure upgrades before any transition. Board members discussed asking the governor or regional associations to press for either more realistic timelines or additional state support to make the change feasible.
