Dearborn (Mich.) Public Schools took delivery of its first electric school bus last week. Photo courtesy of Blue Bird
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The days of diesel-chugging big yellow school buses could be numbered, Joann reports today, thanks to government incentives making it easier for districts to electrify their fleets.
Federal and state governments are practically giving away electric school buses, Joann Muller reports. And if your local district doesn't have its hand up yet, it should — the math is a no-brainer.
Why it matters: Exhaust from diesel school buses makes kids sick and curbs cognitive development. Plus, diesel buses emit greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
What's happening: A bunch of new government incentives make replacing aging diesel fleets an easy call.
- The five-year, $5 billion Clean School Bus Program, approved in November 2021 as part of the infrastructure law and run by the Environmental Protection Agency, pays school districts up to $375,000 to replace a diesel bus with an electric one.
- The government offers another $20,000 for charging infrastructure, for a total of $395,000 per bus purchased.
In October, EPA awarded the program'sfirst $1 billion to fund about 2,500 school bus replacements in nearly 400 districts.
- Priority was given to low-income, rural and tribal communities like Dearborn, Michigan, near Detroit, which took delivery of its first electric school bus last week and expects to buy 18 more with a $7.1 million federal grant.
Many states offer generous rebates, too, including California, Colorado, New York, Connecticut and others.
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