10 Highlights from Alt-Fuel School Transportation in 2023
From EPA electric school bus funding to serious tech with a silly name, check out this collection of School Bus Fleet news related to alternative fuels in school transportation.
Check out these articles about alternative fuels and their potential benefits for school transportation fleets.
Image: Canva
3 min to read
The push to transition school transportation fleets to cleaner fuel alternatives continued in 2023, with the Environmental Protection Agency offering about $1 billion in grant and rebate opportunities for school districts to take older diesel buses off the roads and states like New York and California marching onward with mandates to electrify their school buses.
But propane, biodiesel, and natural gas remain in the mix when it comes to the effort to provide more environmentally friendly school transportation in fleets across North America.
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Check out these 10 stories that made the headlines on School Bus Fleet this year.
What’s different this time? Who qualifies as prioritized? What about repowers? We take a deeper dive into the latest Clean School Bus Program funding opportunity.
School transportation contractor Cook-Illinois Corporation has spent 16 years running diesel buses on biodiesel fuel.
Photo: Cook-Illinois Corporation
Cook-Illinois Corporation, among the largest family owned and operated school-bus contractors in the U.S., has relied on biodiesel to transport children safely and affordably to and from school for more than 15 years.
The cleaner school bus technology has its appeal, helped by federal funding opportunities. But transportation directors recommend caution in the conversion.
Some school districts are exploring renewable propane as a "drop-in" option for propane-powered school buses.
Photo: ROUSH CleanTech
The technology that goes into the school bus and makes it run may change, but the goal remains the same: safe and reliable transportation between home and school for children.
Gavin Newsom wants all newly purchased or contracted school buses to be zero-emission vehicles, with potential extensions for districts meeting certain conditions.
The resources provided by state energy leaders are expected to help school districts and bus operators move away from fossil-fuel powered vehicles while reducing transportation emissions.
Can domestic battery cell production help create manufacturing jobs and improve efficiencies in building new school buses?
Image: Daimler Truck/PACCAR/Acclera by Cummins
Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Trucks, and PACCAR are joining forces to create a 21-gigawatt hour (GWh) EV battery factory in the United States. If the partnership is approved, production might begin in 2027.
Renewable natural gas fuels the CowFartBus, created by Utah-based DEMI to focus on alternative-fuel school transportation.
Photo: DEMI
In this interview with School Bus Fleet, Nate Thacker of Utah-based DEMI discussed the CowFartBus and how renewable natural gas could be school transportation's fuel of the future.
Check out some of the latest moves where alternative fuels and school buses intersect, including electric and propane bus deployments, new EV products, and an update from CARB.
Keeping buses safe, reliable, and on schedule requires more than manual processes. This eBook explores how modern fleet software supports school transportation teams with automated maintenance scheduling, smarter video safety tools, and integrated data systems. Discover practical ways fleets are reducing breakdowns, improving safety, and saving valuable staff time.
Check out some of the latest moves where alternative fuels and school buses intersect, including manufacturing expansions, major funding awards, and energy storage strategies.
Electric school bus success hinges on long-term planning, which means smart financing, battery management, and service-based models that keep fleets reliable for years.
Check out some of the latest moves where alternative fuels and school buses intersect, including new product announcements and bus deployments across the U.S.
South Coast AQMD plans to replace 286 older buses with newer models, plus accompanying infrastructure, across 35 districts in the South Coast Air Basin.
One program ends, another looks to be reimagined, and the Clean School Bus Program is in a holding pattern — here’s where each EPA program stands and what to expect moving forward.
The Illinois district’s new electric bus fleet, supported by EPA grants, ComEd incentives, and Highland Electric Fleets, advances its commitment to sustainable school operations.
