What was sold as a clean energy win is turning into a cold reality for families across Western New York. Parents say their children are freezing on mandated electric school buses, not because of a lack of concern from drivers or schools, but because the buses themselves are not up to the job. The situation has left many families wondering how common sense was ignored in favor of ideology, and how warnings about cold weather performance were brushed aside.
The problems are unfolding as New York pushes forward with a statewide requirement that all new school bus purchases be electric by 2027, with a full transition by 2035. Critics say this mandate was embraced by liberal policymakers who trusted manufacturers and green energy advocates without fully testing whether the technology could actually work in harsh winter conditions.
Parents Say Their Kids Are Coming Home Cold
In the Lake Shore Central School District, parents began calling local station WIVB after their children repeatedly came home from school cold and uncomfortable. Several parents said their kids told them the heat was turned down or turned off during their rides.
Scott Ziobro, a parent in the district, explained what families were told about the buses. “The heaters on the bus run off the same electricity as the bus itself,” Ziobro said. “They were told that it drains the battery capacity of the bus itself.”
That explanation stunned parents. In Western New York winters, heat is not a luxury. It is a basic requirement. Yet children were reportedly riding for long stretches in buses that felt barely warmer than the outside air.
One grandmother, Lynn Urbino, described how alarming it was to hear her grandson explain the situation. “My grandson came home from school last week when it was 23 degrees,” Urbino said. “He said they didn’t have heat. He came in cold, and I told him, ‘Isn’t the bus warm?’ And he said, ‘No, they can’t put the heat on because it drains the battery.’”
Long Routes and Cold Cabins Make Things Worse
Parents stressed that these were not short city routes. Some students are on the bus for half an hour or more as the vehicle completes its run. Chris Lampman, another concerned parent, said that makes the lack of heat unacceptable.
“Some of those kids are on there for upwards of a half hour or more while the bus makes its route,” Lampman said. “There’s no reason that the kids should freeze for all that time.”
For families, this felt like a predictable outcome. Western New York is not New York City. Routes are longer, stops are farther apart, and winter temperatures are far more severe. Critics argue that policymakers ignored those realities while pushing a mandate designed around urban assumptions.
Heating problems are not the only concern. Parents also reported breakdowns that left students waiting outside in freezing weather. Lampman described one incident where a bus broke down mid route.
“They deployed a substitute bus, and the bus was more than 30 minutes late,” he said. “My son stood outside for over 35 minutes waiting for a bus that wasn’t coming.”
Parents said they heard of multiple breakdowns and even saw photos of electric buses being towed away. To them, it reinforced the idea that these vehicles were rushed into service before they were truly ready.
Officials Say Procedures Require Heat
District officials pushed back on the claims, saying that heat is required and that routes are planned to support it. Superintendent Phil Johnson said the district is aware of the concerns and insists that the buses should be able to handle winter conditions.
“All routes are planned so that the electric bus battery capacity is more than sufficient to support both the route and continuous heating, even in winter weather,” Johnson said. “The district values its transportation staff and continues to provide training and support to ensure students and staff are safely transported.”
Johnson added that the district appreciates the efforts of its staff as it navigates the transition required by New York State.
Still, parents say what looks good on paper is not matching what their children experience in real life.
State Agencies Defend the Technology
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority maintains that electric school buses can operate in cold weather. According to the agency, while battery range decreases in winter, it remains sufficient for most local routes.
To skeptical parents, those assurances sound disconnected from reality. They argue that children shivering on buses and waiting outside for delayed replacements are proof that the technology is being oversold.
Independent research supports many of the parents’ concerns. A detailed study by Cornell University examined electric bus performance in upstate New York and found significant underperformance in cold conditions.
Researchers analyzed two years of data and discovered that electric buses consumed nearly 48 percent more energy in freezing temperatures. About half of that extra energy went toward heating the batteries themselves. The rest was consumed by trying to keep the passenger cabin warm.
“With an all electric vehicle, the battery is the only onboard energy source,” said Max Zhang, a senior author of the study. “Everything has to come from it.”
The study also found that regenerative braking was less effective in cold weather, further reducing efficiency. Frequent stops and repeated door openings made it even harder to maintain warmth inside the bus.
The researchers suggested short term fixes like storing buses indoors, charging batteries while they are still warm, and limiting how long doors stay open. But critics say these workarounds only highlight how poorly suited the buses are for cold regions.
Political Pushback Begins
As complaints mount, lawmakers are moving to give districts more freedom. State Senator Alexis Weik criticized the mandate as out of touch with the realities faced outside major cities.
“They’re living in New York City, which is also La La Land, because this is a city centric mandate,” Weik said. She argued that what might work for short urban routes does not translate to rural or upstate districts.
State Senator Patrick Gallivan echoed those concerns, saying districts should be allowed to decide what works best for their communities.
“This legislation removes a costly state mandate and will give school superintendents the authority to decide for themselves whether they want to purchase electric school buses based on the needs and resources of their communities,” Gallivan said.
A Lesson Ignored at Kids’ Expense
For critics, the situation is a case study in what happens when ideology replaces practicality. They argue that liberal policymakers and activists were taken in by manufacturers and green energy promises without demanding real world proof that the buses could handle cold weather, long routes, and daily school operations.
Parents say their children became unwilling test subjects in an experiment that should never have happened. As winter continues, many are calling for flexibility, accountability, and a pause on mandates until the technology can truly meet the needs of every community, not just the ones policymakers had in mind.
