The Bemus Point Central School District is working to keep the local community informed as it moves forward with its electric bus transition plan.

New York State has set the timeline for all schools to begin purchasing electric buses for 2027, with the requirement for all schools to have their entire fleet be made up of electric buses by 2035. The District has recently received a 2023 EPA Clean School Bus Rebate Award that will help to reduce the cost of two electric buses. It also allows the District to receive other financial incentives that it was not able to before. The financial incentives include not only the purchase of the electric buses but also charging stations and utility and infrastructure updates.

The 2023 EPA Clean School Bus Rebate Award is a federal award that comes in the form of $400,000 all together, or $200,000 per bus. The other financial incentives the District is now able to get includes a NYSBIP Voucher, which allows for $147,000 per bus, a NYSBIP Rebate which gives $55,000 per charger, the Federal Tax Program which gives $40,000 per bus and to have National Grid cover 90% of costs to “future proof” the bus garage for the entire electric fleet. With all of these incentives, the purchasing of the two electric buses will be tax neutral.

In order to move forward, the District needs the community to vote to allow for a Bond Anticipation Note. The BAN allows for coverage of the local share of the project, which is a $236,000 project. The District Debt Service will be paid over twelve years, and the project is eligible for Transportation Aid of 57.10%. The Federal Tax Credit will be $80,000 to reduce the local share.

The projected cost overall is expected to be $1,040,000 to include two buses, two charging stations and other soft costs including legal, an architect, an engineer, and a financial advisor.

There will be an electric bus available for a tour and a walk through on July 24 at the Bemus Point Bus Garage. There will be several community presentations throughout August, including at places such as the Bemus Point Library, the Fluvanna Library, the Bemus Point Inn and the Village of Bemus Point, Town of Ellery. An electric school bus public hearing will be held at the school on Aug 28.

According to Bemus Point Superintendent Joseph Reyda, “The district has been given a challenging proposition. It is not easy to make a plan to transition from diesel buses to electric but we are making a good start. Because of the federal rebate we can make this purchase at no cost to the community. These buses will be put to immediate use transporting our kids to and from school. This is a rare opportunity for us.”