California launches effort to put 1,000 more zero-emission school buses into service

A new program by the state of California aims to put another 1,000 zero-emission school buses on the road, officials in that state said.

In the largest single-investment in the state’s history, California will distribute $500 million to school districts and other educational entities across the state to replace old school buses with clean, zero-emission buses. The effort will take place on top of 1,100 clean school buses already on California roads, and another 1,200 already in the pipeline for delivery. Part of the Zero-Emission School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) program, the state will accept applications for funding through Sept. 30.

Officials said that zero-emission school buses are key to the state’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, and will help protect children from the health impacts caused by diesel exhaust. In California, all school bus purchases made by school district will need to be zero-emission by 2035. Rural community school districts will have an extension until 2040, officials said.

To date, the state has provided more than $1.3 billion in incentives to school districts, which has, in turn, funded more than 2,300 zero-emission school buses. Over 70 percent of the zero-emission buses in operation are in the state’s most-pollution-burdened communities. More than 300 school districts and education agencies in the state have purchased at least one zero-emission bus, officials said, and some have switched to a 100 percent clean fleet.

Awardees can receive up to $375,000 to replace internal combustion engine school buses with zero-emission vehicles, in addition to other awards of up to $95,000 per school bus for related charging infrastructure. Awardees will be required to scrap an old school bus for every new zero-emission one purchased, officials said.

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