New York’s green energy mandates are literally leaving children shivering on school buses as parents discover electric buses turn off heaters to preserve battery life during brutal winter weather.
Story Highlights
- Parents in Lake Shore Central School District report children arriving home cold from electric buses with heating failures
- Bus drivers turn off heat to preserve battery power, leaving students exposed on 30+ minute routes in 23°F weather
- State mandates require all new school bus purchases to be electric by 2027 despite winter performance failures
- Districts face $9 billion statewide replacement costs while voters reject electric bus propositions due to financial burden
State Mandates Override Child Safety Concerns
Parents in western New York’s Lake Shore Central School District discovered their children were riding cold buses after drivers disabled heating systems to conserve battery power. Scott Ziobro explained that bus operators shut off heat to prevent battery drain, while grandmother Lynn Urbino expressed horror that her grandson confirmed the heat was deliberately turned off during 23-degree weather. The district operates 23 electric buses under New York’s aggressive mandate requiring all school bus purchases to be electric by 2027.
Winter Reality Exposes Electric Bus Limitations
Electric school buses face significant operational challenges during cold weather as heating systems draw power from the same batteries needed for transportation. Chris Lampman reported his child endured a bus breakdown that delayed arrival by over 30 minutes, leaving the student waiting outside for 35 minutes in frigid conditions. Despite Superintendent Phil Johnson’s assurance that routes are planned to maintain adequate battery power for heating, parents continue reporting instances of children arriving home cold from rides without functional heat systems.
Taxpayers Reject Costly Green Energy Push
School districts across New York face staggering costs as electric buses carry a $263,000 premium over traditional models, contributing to an estimated $9 billion statewide replacement expense by 2035. Most districts avoided electric bus propositions during 2025 budget votes, with examples including Bethlehem Central halting expansions due to federal funding uncertainty and Scotia-Glenville rejecting electric vehicle infrastructure entirely. The New York School Bus Incentive Program offers grants covering up to 60% of costs, but voters increasingly resist mandates that prioritize environmental goals over practical transportation needs and fiscal responsibility.
State Authority Dismisses Parent Concerns
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority maintains that electric bus batteries provide sufficient power for heating despite acknowledged range reduction in cold weather. This bureaucratic response ignores documented failures where children experience uncomfortable and potentially unsafe conditions during winter transportation. The disconnect between state assurances and parental reports highlights how environmental mandates imposed from Albany fail to account for real-world operational challenges faced by rural and suburban communities with longer bus routes and harsh winter conditions.
The Lake Shore situation exemplifies broader resistance to New York’s rushed electrification timeline, which forces local districts to adopt unproven technology while placing children’s comfort and safety at risk for ideological environmental goals.
Sources:
New York parents say kids freeze on mandated electric school buses during brutal winter weather
Push for electric school buses seems to be losing power
