A new survey conducted by Highland Electric Fleets found that 65% of U.S. parents would prefer their child ride on an electric school bus than a diesel-powered one. The survey captured data from U.S. parents of children aged 5 to 17 who ride a school bus.

Currently of more than 500,000 school buses in the U.S. only 2.5% are “committed” electric school buses, including all those funded, ordered, or delivered.

Data showed support for electric school buses is largely tied to parents’ concerns about their children’s health. 89% of parents ranked air quality and a safe and healthy commute to school among their highest concerns and a strong majority of parents believe electric school buses are less likely to produce harmful emissions than diesel buses.

"As this survey underscores, parents increasingly recognize that electric school buses are not just a transportation upgrade—they're a commitment to their children's health and well-being," said Sue Gander, Director of the World Resources Institute's Electric School Bus Initiative. "By reducing harmful emissions and improving air quality, these buses represent a critical step toward safer, healthier school commutes and a cleaner environment for future generations."

The survey also revealed a lack of understanding among parents about the cost and manufacturing of electric school buses.

Parents who said they prefer fossil fuel-powered school buses over electric (35% of respondents) ranked “cost concerns” as the leading factor. 34% of this group indicated they would change their mind if it were demonstrated that electric school buses would save the school district and taxpayers’ money.

"It is extremely encouraging to see strong support for electric school buses among parents nationwide. More families are seeing the correlation between electric engines and a cleaner, safer, and healthier environment for kids at school," said Duncan McIntyre, Founder and CEO of Highland Electric Fleets. "Highland is proud to partner with school districts across the U.S. to help transition fleets from diesel to electric within budget. Our team works alongside district leaders from start to finish on diverse electrification projects to provide cleaner and healthier transportation to their communities, including those in rural or underserved parts of the country."

Additional takeaways from the survey include:

• 63% of parents believe their child would be happier commuting to school on an electric school bus. 

• 70% of parents believe pediatric asthma rates would decline among children riding an electric school bus.

• 68% of parents believe their child's overall physical health would improve as a result of riding an electric bus to school.

• 16% of parents rank electric school buses as their #1 top preferred infrastructure expenditure, over athletic facilities, building upgrades, administrative pay raises, and field trips.