Electric School Buses?! Electric school buses are becoming a reality. I wouldn't want my kids riding in an electric school bus. Have you ever seen videos of electric buses on fire?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Electric school buses are becoming a reality. I wouldn't want my kids riding in an electric school bus. Have you ever seen videos of electric buses on fire?

https://www.google.com/search?q=electric+bus+fires+images&oq=electric+bus+fires+images&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDY0ODZqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Don't get me started.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

jerryc41 wrote:

Electric school buses are becoming a reality. I wouldn't want my kids riding in an electric school bus. Have you ever seen videos of electric buses on fire?

Yes, bus EV fires are scary. I don’t want anything to do with them.
Financially, they are not worth it IMO - they cost up to $400,000 vs standard diesel bus at $150,000.
They generally weight about 10,000 lbs more causing faster tire wear and replacement (at $3000/tire). Since they are so heavy, they are causing road damage that the city has to pay for, so I hope they tax them accordingly.
The battery on an electric school bus could cost around $50,000 to replace, if replacement costs are not covered under warranty. Battery capacity and bus range will decline over time. After 10 years, range may have declined by 30% which means it goes from 150 miles per charge to 105 miles. Batteries typically have a 12- to 15-year useful life. EV's have problems in cold weather, well documented by now.
They are also discovering higher maintenance costs associated with EV’s that have not previously been disclosed.

I should think that a smart school board would wait until technology has grown to where electric is a viable option.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Shellback wrote:

I should think that a smart school board would wait until technology has grown to where electric is a viable option.

The video I saw is about a school system in GA. Maybe the owner of the bus company is on the school board.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

And if they put in power plugs for kids laptops etc. there won't be any power left for the bus. When they drain the batteries the kids will have to get out and walk = Special Physical Fitness Program with credits for a PE class.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

jerryc41 wrote:

The video I saw is about a school system in GA...

Oh, that doesn't surprise me - my daughters mother-in-law drives a school bus there and they have video cameras on the bus covering all students and the bus driver in case there is an "issue" - generally involving bullying. The bus driver is not allowed to intervene unless it involves assult and/or bodily harm. What is so frustrating is the drivers and parents cannot view the recordings unless a court orders it. She's seen many parents file law suits against the school because of bullying instances where the child comes home extremely upset claiming bullying on the bus and they won't let the parents view the recordings. This has been going on for over 10 years with no change in sight.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Shellback wrote:

Oh, that doesn't surprise me - my daughters mother... (show quote)

My school in Kentucky, bullies changed their ways fast. Most kids lived on rural routes, so you sometimes had K to HS from one family. If anyone started to bully the little ones or their friends, they had to face the Big Kids. And the drivers didn't see a thing, "I was too busy trying to get past a herd of cows being driven down the road."

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

robertjerl wrote:

My school in Kentucky, bullies changed their ways fast. Most kids lived on rural routes, so you sometimes had K to HS from one family. If anyone started to bully the little ones or their friends, they had to face the Big Kids. And the drivers didn't see a thing, "I was too busy trying to get past a herd of cows being driven down the road."

Yeah, her route was 1 ~ 6 graders - she was not impressed but needed the job.

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Shellback wrote:

Oh, that doesn't surprise me - my daughters mother... (show quote)

When I first started driving a school bus, I could not believe that there wasn't an adult riding to control the students. We were expected to control the kids and keep them in their seats, while driving the big yellow beastie through rush-hour traffic. For several years, I drove a route which went up and down a mountain! I had instances of kids yelling foul abuse out of the windows while passing along Main Street. The school refused to discipline the students in question, unless I could be heard on the video saying "don't swear... don't swear... don't swear..."

I was waiting for the first time there was a bus accident, and the driver reported that he had been controlling the students, rather than concentrating on driving...

The last couple of years before I retired, I told my boss, if they start a fire in the back of the bus, I will react to it. Otherwise, I see nothing!

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

jerryc41 wrote:

Electric school buses are becoming a reality. I wouldn't want my kids riding in an electric school bus. Have you ever seen videos of electric buses on fire?

https://www.google.com/search?q=electric+bus+fires+images&oq=electric+bus+fires+images&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDY0ODZqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Well, if they can fix the “catching fire” aspect, I’d welcome them. When I was a teacher in Queens, NY about 15 busses would line up at the front entrance and around the corner.
Ever walk past 15 school buses with engines idling? Try that on a hot day. Walking past them you could hardly breathe.
I think that bus companies must have been allowed minimal exhaust control in NYC.

Bayou

I saw an article yesterday...a huge percentage of the busses already sold are broken down and can't be fixed. The builder is out of business. They've been a disaster in some locales.

Can you imagine the electric service it would require to charge dozens of very large vehicles parked together at night all at once?

Burtzy Loc: Bronx N.Y. & Simi Valley, CA

robertjerl wrote:

And if they put in power plugs for kids laptops etc. there won't be any power left for the bus. When they drain the batteries the kids will have to get out and walk = Special Physical Fitness Program with credits for a PE class.

And when they do have to walk the last mile or two to school they will have their noses in their phones. Several will get lost, a few will have accidents like walking into light poles and all will be a little dumber when and if they get to school.

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

robertjerl wrote:

My school in Kentucky, bullies changed their ways fast. Most kids lived on rural routes, so you sometimes had K to HS from one family. If anyone started to bully the little ones or their friends, they had to face the Big Kids. And the drivers didn't see a thing, "I was too busy trying to get past a herd of cows being driven down the road."

👍👍👍

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Burtzy wrote:

And when they do have to walk the last mile or two to school they will have their noses in their phones. Several will get lost, a few will have accidents like walking into light poles and all will be a little dumber when and if they get to school.

But think of the great shape their legs will be in from all that walking. In my hometown the school was at one end of town, right next to a dairy farm on the city limits. Totaly spoiled cows, they got a lot of fruit and other cafeteria food, petting etc. over the wire fence. I lived on the other end of town (small town) a bit over a mile away, up hill half the distance. The only students who rode buses were those who lived outside town and the HS students had to walk to the school where they boarded the buses that dropped off the Elementary kids to ride to the one HS in the middle of the county (only 9-10,000 county population=one HS for everyone)

Years ago, I read an article about a guy walking down a street in NYC with his nose in his phone. Some kid saw him coming and moved the sawhorse barricade on the sidewalk, marking an open manhole. The guy walked right off into the manhole and landed on the phone company workers below. No one seriously hurt, but... It did say the phone company started assigning one extra worker to guard the open manholes.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

How do you know a school district is trying to save money by converting old buses to electric, and had Joe's Cheapskate Appliance Repair do the conversions?

The clue is the trucks full of "D" cell batteries that follow the buses.

The next step is to switch to rechargeable batteries and install solar panels on top to run chargers.