How Electric School Buses Are Safeguarding Our Children’s Health

Across the country, EV school buses are replacing diesel, improving air quality and reducing noise for students, drivers and communities. When walking your child to the bus stop this fall, you may have noticed that the bus looks a little different. Sleeker lines, quieter engine and sometimes even brighter paint. These aren’t just cosmetic changes; it is the first wave of a new fleet of electric school buses funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021. This is part of a nationwide push to make the 26 million children who use school buses to commute to school safer, cleaner and healthier.

Hundreds of school districts are rolling out electric buses this year, and more are on the way. While you may be struck by how futuristic these buses look, the real story is about the impact they have on the air kids breathe every day.

What’s Different About Electric Buses?

Electric school buses may look a little different on the outside, but the biggest change is under the hood. Instead of running on diesel fuel, they’re powered by large batteries that produce zero tailpipe emissions. This shift means students are no longer exposed to harmful diesel exhaust, which is linked to asthma attacks, lung damage and other serious health issues. Many school bus operators say, as reported by Jacqueline Kantor and Danielle Riedl from the World Resources Institute, that the driving experience is an overall improvement compared to diesel buses. “These buses are a lot quieter, [and] they don’t vibrate as much … you can hear the kids in the back talking now with no diesel engine running,” said Trone. 

Another driver, Reser, added, “The buzzing and the humming of the engine – I feel like it has affected my hearing.” Parents, too, notice less machinery noises at the bus stop and fewer fumes when their children board. 

Beyond the health benefits, over time, these buses are also cheaper to operate because electricity is often less expensive than diesel and electric buses require less maintenance. In short, electric school buses offer not only a cleaner and healthier ride for kids, but also long-term savings and reliability for school districts.

Why It Matters for Kids’ Health

For decades, children have been exposed to diesel exhaust while waiting at bus stops or riding to school. Diesel pollution contains a mix of harmful pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). PM_2.5 can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, contributing to inflammation, reduced lung function and long-term respiratory damage. Exposure to diesel exhaust is strongly linked to higher rates of asthma attacks, increased school absences and emergency room visits.

Nitrogen oxides also contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, a pollutant that triggers coughing, shortness of breath and chest tightness—symptoms that are especially dangerous for children with asthma. Because children’s lungs are still developing and they breathe more rapidly than adults, they inhale more pollutants relative to their body weight, making them uniquely vulnerable. Studies have even linked long-term exposure to diesel exhaust with increased cancer risk.

The benefits extend beyond immediate respiratory improvements. Research shows that long-term exposure to diesel pollution can impact cognitive development and school performance. By reducing these exposures, electric school buses help create a healthier environment that supports learning and growth. Electric school buses are not only beneficial for those commuting to school, it also reduces pollution for nearby neighborhoods, making the air cleaner for the entire community.

How Change Is Happening

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law created the Clean School Bus Program, which provides funding to replace older diesel buses with electric or low-emission alternatives. The program has been massively popular – 1,170 school districts used the grant and rebate program to purchase over 8,300 school buses, the majority of which were electric. The law was also written to ensure that the program prioritizes communities that are disproportionately affected by air pollution, ensuring that kids who experience pollution more frequently are among the first to benefit.

The results are already visible. In some areas, fleets of electric buses quietly navigate morning routes that used to be filled with the roar of diesel engines. States like California, New York and Texas are leading the charge, showing that large-scale adoption is possible with the right combination of funding, planning and community support. As more buses hit the streets, more children will have a healthier start to their day.

The program is gathering some interest in rural communities as well. In struggling rural economies, where opportunities have often dwindled since manufacturing jobs left in the 1980s, the EV industry is beginning to serve as an important economic anchor. Electric school buses are more than just a tool for cleaner air, they represent new job opportunities in maintenance, charging infrastructure, and even regional manufacturing facilities. Some communities that were once hollowed out by industrial decline are now seeing EV-related investment bring back a sense of stability and hope. By creating demand for skilled labor, supporting local contractors who install and maintain charging systems, and reducing long-term fuel and maintenance costs for school districts, the electric school bus program is helping rural communities see tangible benefits from the clean energy transition.

The Future Is Electric

Electric school buses are more than just a new look; they represent a shift toward cleaner air and healthier environments for everyone. As more districts adopt this technology, families across the country will notice quieter streets and fresher air during school drop-off and pick-up times. Beyond health, these buses are part of a broader effort to fight climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions while improving local air quality.

Despite short-term challenges, the long-term outlook is hopeful: Electric school buses are here to stay, and the benefits they bring will only continue to grow.