With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Clean School Bus (CSB) Program provides $5 billion over five years (FY 2022-2026) to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models. Under the Program’s first funding opportunity, the 2022 CSB Rebates, EPA solicited applications for zero-emission and low-emission school buses and awarded up to $965 million to fund school bus replacements at nearly 400 schools.

The EPA closed the grant opportunity in Spring 2023, and In Fall 2023, opened the 2023 CSB Rebates program; EPA expects to award at least $500 million in funding under the 2023 rebate program.

Resources:

Various webinars will be hosted for this program from October to January: https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/events-related-clean-school-bus-program. WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative is helping districts take advantage of this and other funding sources by providing free resources on the school bus electrification process, including a step-by-step guide, a power planner for working with electric utilities, and a market report/buyer’s guide detailing the electric school bus models on the road today.