The Ontario Electric School Bus Alliance (OESBA) brings together environmental groups, health advocates, funders, and community partners working to move Ontario’s school buses from diesel to electric, for kids’ health, a safer climate, and good jobs here at home.
Our goal
A provincial target for electric school buses, working toward a fully electric Ontario fleet by 2040.
Who we are
OESBA is a provincial alliance of environmental, health, research, industry and school organizations working to speed up the switch to electric school buses in Ontario. The Alliance is coordinated and co-led by Ecology Ottawa, the Pembina Institute, and Pollution Probe. We share research and experience from other provinces, prepare letters and policy briefs, and coordinate our outreach to decision-makers.
The Alliance is coordinated and co-lead by Ecology Ottawa, the Pembina Institute, and Pollution Probe. We’re part of a national movement. OESBA works closely with the Canadian Electric School Bus Alliance (CESBA), coordinated by Green Communities Canada in partnership with Équiterre.
What OESBA does
Getting electric school buses on Ontario’s roads takes more than a policy target. Aiming to accelerate school bus electrification, OESBA helps make the switch happen by:
- Bringing people together: We connect school boards, transportation consortia, bus operators, manufacturers, utilities, health professionals and advocates, who rarely sit at the same table.
- Sharing research and real-world experience: We share findings and lessons from other provinces and from early deployments, so Ontario can build on what has already worked.
- Identifying practical barriers: We pinpoint what’s slowing adoption, such as upfront costs, charging infrastructure, funding rules and workforce training, and work with members on solutions.
- Informing provincial policy: We turn what members learn into letters, policy briefs and recommendations for the Ontario government.
- Advocating for targets and funding: We push for a clear provincial target and dedicated, predictable funding for buses, charging and training.
Why electric school buses?
Healthier kids
Diesel exhaust causes cancer and is especially harmful to children, raising their risk of asthma and lung disease. Diesel fumes can build up inside the bus, so kids are exposed every school day. In Canada, health costs linked to diesel exhaust are estimated at about $2.3 billion a year [SOURCE NEEDED]. Electric buses have no tailpipe and are much quieter, which is better for kids, drivers, and neighbourhoods.
A better climate
Each electric school bus cuts about 17 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year. Replacing one diesel bus is like taking five gas-powered cars off the road.
Good jobs in Ontario
Electrifying 65% of Ontario’s school buses by 2030, Quebec’s target, could create more than 10,800 jobs and $1.5 billion in GDP. Many of these jobs pay well and don’t require a university degree.
Savings over time
Although electric school buses cost more initially, they cost about 80% less to power and 50% less to maintain than diesel buses. Each diesel bus replaced could save up to $350,000 in climate and health costs.
Where Ontario stands
In March 2026, Canada’s first Electric School Bus Report Card graded every province. P.E.I. came first, with a third of its fleet electric. Quebec came second, with more than 1,600 electric buses on the road. Ontario scored just 25%, a failing grade. It has the country’s largest school bus fleet, but no clear target and no funding for electric buses. It didn’t have to be this way. Ontario put 13 electric school buses on the road in 2017, then cancelled its Electric School Bus Pilot program in 2018.
Now is the time to act. More than 30,000 school buses across Canada need replacing in the next two to seven years, and every diesel bus bought today will be on the road for over a decade.
To learn more about Ecology Ottawa's Electric School Buses (ESBs) initiative, visit this page.