School buses are integral to the daily routine of students and faculty, as they enable vital and timely commutes between residences and educational institutions. Similar to many other Indian states, more than 85% of school buses in Kerala are diesel-run, resulting in adverse effects on children’s health (carcinogenic exhaust fumes) and serious climate and environmental consequences. To mitigate these impacts, schools across the world (and some in India) are transitioning to cleaner vehicles and fuel technologies such as electric buses with zero tailpipe emissions.
The Energy Management Centre Kerala (EMC Kerala), with support from the Green Mobility team at CSTEP, is organising a district-level workshop in Thiruvananthapuram to raise awareness about the health, environmental, and economic advantages of electric school buses and to address the associated challenges with procurement, operations, and charging of these buses. This consultation workshop aims to bring together diverse stakeholders including school representatives, electric bus original equipment manufacturers, and charge point operators to discuss the opportunities and challenges for schools to gradually transition to electric bus fleets.
