District would pay $30K to $42K per vehicle annually

As it waits to learn whether it will receive grants to purchase four electric buses, the Haldane school district is considering whether it should lease instead.

Under state law, all new school buses must be zero-emission starting in 2027. Districts must be fully electric by 2035.

Haldane is considering a partnership with Highland Electric Fleets, a Massachusetts company that leases electric school buses. Emily Parish, a manager with the firm, traveled to Cold Spring on Tuesday (June 3) to make a presentation to the school board about its "turnkey fleet electrification services."

Electric buses typically cost $400,000 each, or three times a bus that burns diesel. Parish said Haldane would pay between $30,000 and $42,000 a year to lease each bus, depending on the amount of grant money the district receives from state and federal sources.

In addition to the buses, Parish said that Highland Electric would provide charging stations, electrical capacity, electricity, bus management software, driver training and maintenance assistance. The buses would be driven by district employees and housed on campus.

The vehicles would be provided under a "capital lease," which under state law is capped at eight years. (Legislation has been introduced to extend the limit to 12 years, which is the typical lifespan of a school bus.) Haldane voters would have to approve the contracts.

"For a small district like Haldane to attempt the transition independently would be very difficult," said Carl Albano, the interim superintendent. "They have the knowledge, and it minimizes risk."

Adam MacNeil, Haldane's director of facilities and transportation, said that, given the district's inexperience with electric buses, partnering with a firm like Highland Electric "allows us to focus on other things."

"We have never outsourced our transportation," noted Board President Peggy Clements during the meeting, calling it a source of pride. "The district has done a very good job of buying buses and maintaining" buses. She added that the transition to a lease agreement "is another kind of risk."

Highland Electric has assisted Haldane with grant applications, including a bid to obtain $170,000 for each bus from the federal Environmental Protection Administration. The district can also apply for state grants.

Parish said she was optimistic the EPA would continue its bus grants despite the cost-cutting and turmoil in Washington D.C. "Hopefully we get some news in the next couple of weeks," she said.

Highland Electric said it has contracts with 130 districts across the country to manage some 900 buses, although it does not yet have any agreements in New York. Parish said her firm is also pitching the Scarsdale district on its services.