Health Benefits, Economic Implications, Logistic Challenges, and Community Engagement 

Innis Town Hall Theatre, University of Toronto 

December 14, 2023 | 4:00 p.m.

Registration for Electrifying Ontario’s School Bus Fleet is now open to all stakeholders in the fields of transportation, education, health, climate change and more.  

Join us for an evening of speakers from across academia, industry, and government to discuss the electrification of Ontario’s school bus fleets. The event will feature two prominent keynote speakers, each with a rich history in school bus electrification. This will be followed by presentations from four panelists sharing perspectives from academia, NGOs, industry and community engagement. The event will conclude with a networking reception, allowing for interdisciplinary connections to be formed. 

Register for the event here as soon as possible.  

Approximately 20,000 school buses carry over 833,000 students to school every day in Ontario, with over 90% of these buses running on diesel fuel. Air pollution from diesel buses has been linked to serious health and educational impacts on the children they transport each and every day. The rapid deployment of electric school buses across Ontario’s school boards would protect children’s health, reduce carbon emissions, and strengthen the province’s automotive manufacturing industry. Beyond the numerous benefits electric school buses can provide, they offer a rich opportunity for community collaboration. Successful transitions to improve the school bus system would bring together school boards, school transportation providers, manufacturers across the supply chain, policymakers at the local, provincial, and national levels, and academia conducting research on the benefits and logistics of school bus electrification.   

Event Agenda 

4:00 PM – 5:20 PM: Opening Remarks, Keynote Speeches 
5:20 PM – 5:30 PM: Break
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Panel Presentations & Panel Discussion
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM: Networking & Refreshments 

Event Organizers 

This event is co-hosted by Positive Zero Transport Futures and the University of Toronto Mobility Network.  

Positive Zero Transport Futures’ mission is to accelerate the transfer of transport decarbonization research and innovation into actionable knowledge. Novel technologies, services, and policies to decarbonize transport can be tested in a real-world context in our living lab ecosystem. Our team of experts includes researchers from the Departments of Civil & Mineral Engineering, Arts & Science, the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and the Daniels Faculty of Architecture. 

Mobility Network connects mobility researchers from across University of Toronto to catalyze transformation in the ways we move people and goods to create a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous future. 

Event Registration: https://forms.gle/npZw6zpSuFMcnCm77