HVIP Public School Bus Set-Aside for Small and Medium Air Districts

$130 Million Set-Aside for Eligible School Buses
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a $130 million set-aside intended to cover nearly, if not all, of the full cost of new zero-emission school buses for public school districts and other qualifying entities located in small-sized air districts and in medium-sized air districts.

Public School Bus Set-Aside Flyer

Applications for the Public School Bus Set-Aside for Small and Medium Air Districts (Public School Bus Set-Aside) will be accepted when HVIP opens, which is anticipated for late March. More information will be provided to all stakeholders and posted to www.CaliforniaHVIP.org and www.CaliforniaHVIP.org/Purchasers when the HVIP Implementation Manual for FY21-22 funds is published, before HVIP opens.

Mark Your Calendar – March 2nd Working Group
Join us 11am-12pm (PT) on Wed., March 2nd for a working group meeting on the available and upcoming funding opportunities for electric school buses (ESBs), including the HVIP Public School Bus Set-Aside for Small and Medium Air Districts. The March 2nd working group is a part of a series of monthly California Electric School Bus Working Group Meetings, convened by CALSTART, please spread the word!

Register Here!

Purchaser Eligibility for Set-Aside Funds
Eligible applicants in small and medium air districts should apply when HVIP opens. For the first 90 days, funding will be prioritized for applicants that are in a small air district AND are also in a Disadvantaged Community. After the initial 90 days, requests are first come first served for all qualifying purchasers in all small and medium-sized air districts.

At the time of their initial funding request, applicants will need to identify bus(es) to scrap / retire, but do not need to know yet what bus(es) they potentially want to purchase. HVIP staff will connect applicants with an HVIP Approved Dealer who will complete the rest of the application on their behalf.

Before HVIP opens, school buses eligible for the set-aside funds will be indicated on the HVIP Eligible Vehicle Catalog. See the flyer for details about the old bus scrappage requirement.

All applicants must serve students at the K-12th grade level. Eligible applicants include:

• CA Public School Districts or Public Charter Schools
• CA Joint Power Authorities (JPAs)
• CA County Offices of Education (COEs)
• Division of State Special Schools of the CA Department of Education

Details of this set-aside are subject to change until the HVIP FY21-22 Implementation Manual is published.

Outreach is underway now! Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions or to subscribe to Public School Bus Set-Aside updates. We’re here to help.