A new bill introduced into the New Jersey State Senate, SB 2436, sponsored by Rep. Patrick Diegnan and Sen. Linda Greenstein, directs the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to develop and implement an Electric School Bus Pilot Program.
The bill was introduced on May 16 and has since been referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
If passed, an electric school bus pilot program would be established no later than six months after the effective date. The bill calls on the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), Department of Transportation, Department of Education and New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to develop and implement a three-year Electric School Bus Pilot Program.
The program is intended to determine the operational reliability and cost-effectiveness of replacing diesel-powered school buses with electric school buses. School districts are to be selected by the BPU, and will consist of at least one school district in each of the northern, central and southern regions of the state.
The school districts would be required to submit reports outlining the cost to operate and reliability issues.
Under the pilot program, the BPU would award grants to the selected school districts to purchase the electric buses and install electric school bus charging infrastructure. The grants cannot exceed $10 million over the three-year period.
