Major Upgrades Coming For LAUSD Buses: EPA Invests Millions To Replace Aging Fleet

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that the Los Angeles Unified School District and three others across the state have been selected to receive millions in federal grants to replace older school buses with low and zero-emission options.

The grants are through the agency’s first Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition, which will help purchase new school buses for more than 7 million students across hundreds of school districts in 37 states, according to the EPA.

Where will the money go?

LAUSD has been awarded nearly $20 million to go toward 50 buses.

The Kern High School District has been awarded more than $15.4 million for 39 buses.

The Porterville Unified School District in Tulare County has been awarded nearly $14 million for 35 buses.

These three school districts were prioritized as “high-need” in the competition.

“Los Angeles Unified is honored to accept the U.S. EPA Clean School Bus Grant,” LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a statement. “This $19.75M grant award will greatly help us move toward electrification and away from fossil fuels in transportation. This important investment will also provide cleaner air for our students and the communities we serve.”

Finally, the San Diego Unified School District has been awarded more than $12.4 million for 30 buses.

Additionally, two companies that contract with California schools have also been awarded grants.

Zum Services Inc., a Redwood City-based company that describes itself as the “industry leader in student transportation for school districts,” has been selected to receive more than $26.5 million.

That money will purchase 80 new school buses for the Alameda, L.A., San Francisco, and Oakland school districts.

First Student, Inc., an Ohio-based company that said online it “moves more passengers per day than all U.S. airlines combined,” has been selected to receive nearly $16 million.

That money will go toward purchasing 45 buses in Arizona, and for the Orange County Department of Education, the L.A. County Office of Education, as well as the Palm Springs, Fallbrook Union, Long Beach, and Riverside school districts.

“EPA’s clean school bus grant for First Student, Inc. is great news for our kids and our climate,” Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán said in a statement. “These new electric buses funded by the Jobs and Infrastructure Law will cut harmful diesel emissions for communities in Long Beach burdened with high rates of pollution and childhood asthma. It’s a win for public health and a win for our fight against the climate crisis.”

In total, more than $88 million is coming to California to replace 234 existing school buses with low and zero-emission vehicles.

What’s next?

The school districts and companies selected for the grants will need to work with the EPA to finalize their project plans and purchase the new buses.

The EPA said it is also partnering with the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to help school districts plan for and deploy the replacement buses.

Districts that were not selected for the 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate Program or those that did not apply can enter current and future funding rounds. That window is open until Jan. 31.