Time for yellow school buses to go green: Ecology Ottawa

Of the more than 20,000 school buses in Ontario's, only 20 are electric, just 0.1 per cent. Ecology Ottawa wants to see those numbers rise.

According to the grassroots environmental organization, by switching over to electric school buses more than 340,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions would be eliminated each year.

And the benefits go beyond environmental. By eliminating that amount of diesel pollution there are considerable health benefits for everyone, but especially children.

“We know the negative health impacts associated with diesel exhaust,” organizer with Ecology Ottawa Cheryl Randall said on The Sam Laprade Show. “We really want to protect those children who are the most vulnerable to air pollution because of their smaller lungs, and less developed respiratory systems, to be able to get to school in the healthiest way possible.”

Randall adds biking and walking also need to be prioritized, but for the 80,000 students who take the bus in Ottawa electric is the way to go.

Though the upfront cost of converting the fleet to electric may be pricey, over the life time of the bus reduced maintenance and diesel costs would make for overall savings. Add in indirect benefits like lower costs and reduced burden on the health care system thanks to less pollution and you really start to see the savings, said Randall.

One particular challenge to switching from diesel to electric is that the school boards do not own the buses. Instead, private operators are hired by the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) through multi-year service contracts.

While the private operators may support the idea of switching to electric, they don't necessarily have the funds to do so. 

Ecology Ottawa wants the provincial government to take advantage of current federal funding programs support the conversion from gas and diesel powered vehicles to electric. 

Ford's Progressive Conservatives scrapped an electric school bus pilot program when they took over Queen's Park in 2018.

“We're really hoping that the transportation ministry in Ontario, which had funded that pilot, will now step up and provide funding at the provincial level to accelerate this transition that is so needed,” said Randall.

Listen to the full interview with Cheryl Randall on The Sam Laprade Show below.