Electrifying School Bus in Hanoi, Vietnam – What are Barriers and Enablers?

Abstract

By the end of June 2022, Hanoi has 2,835 schools, nearly 70,200 classes, and more than 2.2 million students. More than one million children ride the bus to school, and 100% of these school buses run on diesel. Diesel exhaust has proven links to serious physical health issues as well as cognitive development impacts. Transitioning to electric school buses from traditional diesel-powered school buses can reduce students’ exposure to harmful pollutants that contribute to respiratory disease, heart disease, cancer and physical problems - and which can harm students’ cognitive development. However, the adoption of electric school buses concerns significant issues relating to the purchasing and operating costs, driving distance and charging systems. Therefore, the possibility of electric school buses remains unknown. The study used documents and semi-structured interviews with students, parents, school vehicle organizers, and bus service providers who involving in the decision-making of electric school bus adoption. The results show that the purchasing and operating cost, the driving distance and charging systems are major concerns and experiences by involved stakeholders are highly context-dependent. Financial and regulatory support from the national government, along with student demand and route characteristics had a significant influence on electric school bus adoption.