Following “overwhelming demand,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected 67 applicants to receive about $965 million in grants through the Clean School Bus Program. That’s more than double the $400 million in grants initially planned when the EPA called for applications in April 2023.
The funding is made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allotted the program $5 billion over five years to help school districts make the switch to alternative fuel bus fleets. This represents the program’s first round available as grants and follows nearly $1 billion awarded through a rebate competition in 2022.
“Today we’re once again accelerating the transition to electric and low-emission school buses in America, helping to secure a healthier future where all our children can breathe cleaner air,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan.
These new grants will help awardees purchase over 2,700 clean school buses, 95% of which will be electric. The winning projects cover 280 school districts serving over 7 million students across 37 states. Prioritized school districts in low-income, rural, and/or Tribal communities make up approximately 86% of the projects.
With this latest announcement, the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $2 billion and funded about 5,000 all-electric and low-emission school buses fueled by propane or compressed natural gas.
The EPA will make more funds available in additional rounds. Meanwhile, the agency is still accepting applications for the 2023 rebate portion of the program until Jan. 31. More information about the Clean School Bus Program is available here.