Meeting with SuperSelby #2

Mar 6, 2023

Preparation

• Theo presents on health

• Joel presents on economic benefits

• Talia Proshan (Fieldston) presents on the environment

• Lexi and Rachel scribe

Notes

• Retiring 4 Riverdale buses this year

• Oldest bus at Riverdale is 9 years

• NYC and NYS transitioning to electric buses - at one point will that transiti

• Super Selby currently buys equipment from one of the manufacturers included in the presentation

• Electric vehicles are inevitable, the question is how fast we transition at RCS

• Has already looked into options

• Cannot buy an empty parking lot

• Super Selby wary of not being able to get the grants and incentives

• Every decision based on the future of electric vehicles

• Bills coming to US government → money given to local school districts

  • At a disadvantage to white plains, can they really compete?

  • White Plains gets money from the Biden administration → used Lion Electric, one of the first to do so

  • Selby is a private bus league, qualifies for some grants

• $65,000 diesel minivans vs $250,000 mini electric vans

• Over 400k now to buy the bus directly from 370k prior

• Minivans are used at the hill campus’ lower schools

• Try to avoid diesel

• Divide between the public and private distribution of grants

  • Action item for students: write to officials for potential grants

• Qualify for the 120k per bus - qualified for clean bus through NY startup

• Math, technology will eventually be there, inevitable

• Towns buying a handful, a few, but not carrying out long term and expanding at a fast rate

  • Ex. 7 out of 48

• Looking into purchasing 2 new buses

  • KNF: What are the chances 1 is electric - technological struggles limits the company

• Hybrid options

• Major bus vendors say 70 mi on a charge per day - currently average more than that

  • Average distance: 77 miles a day → maybe a tier above it?

  • Currently do not refuel halfway through day

  • Some (late) buses → over a hundred

• Electrifying with the shortest distances first

• Can the school contribute directly?

• 3 schools using same/similar routes

• 60 bus routes

• Incentives we don’t qualify for: Infrastructure Bill that just went into senate → will go to school districts to divvy up money, private companies are not a priority

  • Mount Vernon: 20% of school funding comes from the city, the other 80% comes from the state/federal government

  • Same with how pandemic money came from federal gov to school districts - not to private schools

• Currently have a long contract with Riverdale, 8 years left

• Show proof of attendance, Riverdale gets some money from the state, very small

• “See how it plays out”

• Have a bus manufacturing consultant currently

• Vehicle to Grid program by Con Edison - buses would help the grid by demanding balance throughout the day

  • Manufacturing of con edison

• When everyone has to do this by 2027, do they have the resources? Is this feasible?

  • Will they be ready to make this transition?

  • Running out of electricity

  • Shifting power around, Riverdale campus power shuts down in the summer

• Talked to evp of business at logan

  • If we jump in too quick, technology would evolve quickly, resulting in difficulty

  • MTA buses have been running for decades

  • What happens if the bus doesn’t properly fuel up, then the bus dies in traffic on a highway

• Lion Electric Manufacturer → 100-125 miles per charge

  • Upper west side buses best short distances

  • Anticipate buying brand new/utilizing for 12 years which is still doable under current mandate

  • But predicts new world in 3-4 years, a new diesel bus is not a good idea. Looking for a used gas vehicle

• Current Numbers

  • 84 large size buses

  • Retiring/reselling 2 2012 buses this year, too old for private clients

  • Foresee in future, very open to trying 1 electric bus, one step, to see what it would look like

    • Push forward - one small step

    • Is possible

  • Can save 120k

  • Math over 10 years - cheaper to own

  • Have already applied for some stuff they know they are eligible for

• Big Fear

  • Don't want all the families at RCS to have to pay additional for the electric buses

• Return on investment would be much quicker

• Case studies on if the - doesn't think it adds up right now

  • Morally, environmentally

  • Economics do not add up right now

• Proposal: buying a few buses and

  • Every third bus

  • Buying power

• Riverdale is a big client - 800, 900 families in the transportation program

• Rates have set for going into 23-24 school year

• Bus fleet at RCS is newer than the other smaller clients and schools

  • More valued clients get newer buses

• Don will set up a meeting with manufacturer and consultant - getting a full quote - possible this week

  • We will meet 2nd week of april

  • Relationships

• Other company has 550 vehicles

• When it makes sense from an economical standpoint

  • Costs

  • School year 24-25

  • Clear sense of the timeline and economic costs

  • What loans

  • What they foresee from federal and state govts

  • Calculate bus costs

  • Financing

  • Price differential, estimate per school bus

  • “Probably is doable, but when”

  • On the radar - comes up quite a bit

• Does not want to do the superficial aspects, wants to create a more

• Longer term strategy

  • White plains is phasing in

  • How fast to get there