California has committed $500 million to help school districts purchase 1,000 electric school buses and install related charging infrastructure, state officials said, as part of its ongoing efforts to cut emissions from public transportation and reduce air pollution in vulnerable communities.
The funding, part of the Zero-Emission School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) program, is managed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC). In a statement, the agencies said 133 educational agencies across the state were awarded grants to replace aging diesel and gasoline buses with battery-electric models.
Under the program, each recipient can receive up to $375,000 per bus and up to $95,000 for associated charging infrastructure. According to the ZESBI Infrastructure Incentive Fact Sheet, support varies depending on the type of charger: schools may receive up to $20,000 for an AC charger and up to $75,000 for a DC fast charger with bi-directional capabilities.
“Cleaning up the state’s school bus fleet is central to California’s efforts to provide clean transportation in priority communities that are disproportionately hurt by air pollution,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph. “The vast majority of these grants will go to local educational agencies that serve these communities.”
CEC Chair David Hochschild added, “California has set important benchmarks for removing internal combustion vehicles from our roads and replacing them with clean transportation. CEC is helping school districts move in that direction by funding ZESBI.”
The investment supports California’s broader clean transportation targets. In 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation mandating that all new school buses sold in the state be zero-emission by 2035. The state is also aiming to achieve overall carbon neutrality by 2045. Officials say roughly 23,800 school buses currently operate in California.
To date, the state has committed $1.3 billion toward school bus electrification, funding the purchase of 2,300 zero-emission school buses, of which about 1,100 are already in use.