How Tribal Nations Are Charging Ahead with Electric School Buses WRI October 8, 2025 By Alyssa Curran, Carla Walker and Maranda Compton “The kids love it!" exclaimed Katie Tiger, the electric school bus project manager for school transportation fleet operator Cherokee Boys Club. What started as a single pilot, when the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' deployed its first electric school bus in 2022 has become a transportation transformation. Now, three years later, Cherokee Central Schools in Nort The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is among a growing list of tribal nations and Native communities leading the way in the U.S. on school bus electrification. This is particularly important, as data shows that Native children have higher rates of asthma, face longer routes to school and are more likely to ride the school bus than other non-Native students — all concerns associated with emissions from riding diesel buses. Without the tailpipe exhaust that emits harmful air pollutants, electric school buses offer a better path than diesel buses, with advantages for air quality, health, climate and long-term costs. Electric buses are also responsible for the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any school bus type, even when accounting for emissions from the generation of electric power. 
State of Play: Electric School Buses Serving Indian Country......As of July 2025, over 400, or about 3%, of the approximately 14,000 electric school buses nationwide serve tribal nations and Native communities across 70 school districts.h Carolina is on track to have a fully electrified fleet by the end of the year, which will give all its students a clean and quiet ride. Cherokee Nation was the first tribe to transition to electric school buses, with Sequoyah High School in Oklahoma deploying its first electric school bus in 2021 after receiving funding from several sources including a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2018. By the end of 2025, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will be the first tribal nation to fully transition its school bus fleet with all 21 of their school buses running electric.While motivations among tribal nations and Native communities to transition their school bus fleets to electric may vary, each brings benefits for their community. Here we spotlight how four school districts have made that transition.

Cherokee Central Schools........The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Boys Club electrified Cherokee Central Schools' fleet as part of their commitment to environmental conservation and to support a tribal resolution prioritizing renewable energy goals. They chose electric school buses over propane-burning alternatives for environmental benefits and because the new bus technology would bring workforce opportunities to their community. In addition to students noting the lack of diesel fumes and drivers praising the quiet rides, the transition has yielded substantial economic benefits, such as $300 to $500 in fuel savings per electric bus each month and reduced maintenance costs. It has also supported community resiliency as demonstrated this past summer when their electric school buses provided power back to their electric utility, Duke Energy, helping reduce grid strain during heat waves. It also fostered workforce development opportunities, with three Cherokee Boys Club technicians receiving specialized high-voltage training from the dealer and bus manufacturer. Cherokee Boys Club Service Manager Donnie Owle and Master Technician Cliff Cochran also provided high school interns with hands-on electric vehicle (EV) training experience — including converting golf carts to solar electric — preparing community members for participation in the green economy. 

Despite these successes, there were some challenges. Because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean School Bus Program limits eligibility to certain types of applicants, nonprofit school transportation providers like the Cherokee Boys Club could not apply directly. Instead, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians had to set up complex arrangements to channel grant funds, which added administrative difficulty to the process. In addition, in the early stages of the transition, the Cherokee Boys Club was surprised by the high infrastructure costs for necessary upgrades for EV charger installation.......read on    https://www.wri.org/insights/tribal-nations-electric-school-bus-transition