Every day, more than two million children in Canada take the bus to go to school—that’s 51,000 school buses. These buses emit unnecessary, yet dangerous, amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, affecting our children’s health and well-being, as well as our environment. Solutions exist, but we need a government that's willing to take bold steps to drive down emissions. An electric school bus program would go a long way in achieving this.
While we would undeniably be reducing our emissions, which is already worth the cost, electric vehicles have a lower maintenance and operating cost than traditional diesel engines. Furthermore, school districts would be able to save money on the gas to run the buses. And, most importantly, replacing one diesel school bus with an electric school bus can save $11,800 in health costs related to diesel pollution. When you think about the 51,000 buses being used every day, that number is substantial.