26-04-2025
Lodi Unified to receive funding for zero-emission buses
Apr. 26—Lodi Unified School District is one of four in the county that will be receiving funding to purchase zero-emission electric buses in the near future.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that $500 million was awarded to educational agencies to buy zero-emission school buses and chargers through the Zero-Emissions School Bus and Infrastructure project.
The project aims to invest $500 million to deliver 1,000 buses to some 133 school districts across the state by 2035.
Clean school buses funded by the state are expected to reduce 18,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, which is equal to taking more than 4,000 cars off the road for a year.
More than 70% of the current zero-emission school buses in operation are in California's most pollution-burdened communities, the state said.
"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," California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph said. "The vast majority of these grants will go to local educational agencies that serve these communities."
To date, the state has provided more than $1.3 billion in incentives to fund more than 2,300 zero-emission school buses at school districts, of which 1,100 are already in use.
More than 300 districts and local education agencies have purchased at least one zero-emission school bus — and some have made the switch to a 100% clean fleet.
Monique Fraticelli Esparza, Lodi Unified's director of transportation, said the district has applied for the Zero-Emissions School Bus and Infrastructure grant, as well as a San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District grant.
The district is currently awaiting notification that it qualifies and how much in funding it will receive, she said.
"As of now, we do not have any zero-emission buses in our fleet," she said. "These grant applications were submitted with the goal of replacing 20 of our older school buses with 20 new electric buses to support our efforts toward cleaner, more sustainable student transportation."
"California has set important benchmarks for removing internal combustion vehicles from our roads and replacing them with clean transportation," California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild said. "CEC is helping school districts move in that direction by funding ZESBI."
The state hopes that the buses will help its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and help protect children who are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts from diesel exhaust.
Linden, Manteca and Stockton Unified school districts will also benefit from the state's allocation.
Newsom also announced on Wednesday that California saw a 177% increase in its Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project from 2023 to 2024.
The program is funded primarily with proceeds from the cap-and-trade program and provides point-of-sale discounts to make zero-emission trucks and buses more accessible for fleets and businesses.
In February alone more than 200 HVIP-funded zero-emission trucks and buses were deployed with $31 million in incentives, the state said.
