Lower-Emission School Bus Program

Overview

The primary goal of the ARB's Lower-Emission School Bus Program is to reduce school children's exposure to both cancer-causing and smog-forming pollution. The program provides grant funding for new, safer school buses and to put air pollution control equipment (i.e., retrofit devices) on buses that are already on the road.

With appreciation to Ms. Judy Fogel and her Brentwood Science Magnet School 1999-2000 first grade class for the art work. With special thanks to Lily, Leslie, Ilya, Hugo, Justin, and Ricardo.

Lower-Emission School Bus Program 2007

Proposition 1B, which was approved by the voters on November 7th, 2006, enacts the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act of 2006. This bond act authorizes $200 million for replacing and retrofitting school buses.

Click here for the School Bus Retrofit and Replacement Account page.

ARB Implementation of the Lower-Emission School Bus Program

The Air Resources Board is acting as the implementing agency for 16 local air pollution control and air quality management districts. If your school district, joint powers authority, or private transportation contractor (provides transportation to public schools), operates in one of these 16 air districts, then you would apply for funding directly to the ARB, not your local air district.

ARB is the implementing agency for the following air districts: Amador, Antelope, Colusa, Feather River, Imperial, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Mojave, Northern Sonoma, Placer, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Siskiyou, and Tehama.

Click here for the ARB Implementation of the Lower-Emission School Bus Program page.

DERA-Funded Lower-Emission School Bus Retrofit Program

The ARB received an allocation of $1.73 million from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) to use the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding for State Clean Diesel Grant Program (2009 State DERA grant) to make a more robust effort at addressing the need for retrofits on California’s school buses. As stimulus funds, the 2009 State DERA grant carries specific priorities for commencing the activities and expenditures as quickly as possible and to preserve and/or create jobs. On April 20, 2009 ARB issued a solicitation to distribute the funding based on population of air districts that have a sufficient number of “shovel ready” retrofit applications.

Click here for the 2009 State DERA-funded LESB Retrofit Program Solicitation (pdf - 41 KB)

Click here for2009 State DERA-funded LESB Retrofit Program selected air and school districts (pdf- 4 KB)

Historic Lower-Emission School Bus Program 2000 - 2006

The ARB staff, in coordination with the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the local air pollution control districts, has developed guidelines for implementation of the Lower-Emission School Bus Program funds. The guidelines cover which buses and retrofits can be purchased, requirements for the CEC and air districts running the program, and the benefits of the program.