Transportation transformation: Numbers of Michigan’s clean school buses keep growing

On the roads and in school driveways all over Michigan, a quiet revolution is underway: the transformation of bus fleets from dirty diesels to clean energy.

In a state where nearly 17,000 school buses transport more than 800,000 students a year, six years of state and federal investments have so far supported the purchase of nearly 900 buses producing low or no emissions. Some are yet to enter service.

The latest awards, announced this fall, total $35.9 million from the Michigan Department of Education’s (MDE) $125 million Clean Bus Energy Grant (CBEG) program. They’ll help 23 schools and districts, listed below, add 87 electric buses and 10 propane buses, along with supporting infrastructure.

And they’ll help Michigan breathe easier.

“Children and others in their communities benefit from cleaner air,” said Interim State Superintendent Dr. Sue C. Carnell. “We are happy to work with our partners at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to make our state greener.”

Carnell said the CBEG program improves the health, safety, and wellness of all learners, a goal in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan.

EGLE has consistently supported clean power for Michigan school transportation as the technology became available. In 2019 and 2020, the department awarded about $13 million in grants through its now-closed Fuel Transformation Program toward the purchase of 317 electric, clean diesel, and propane school buses and support infrastructure for more than 25 Michigan districts.

In November 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) weighed in with $54 million for 138 new electric school buses and infrastructure serving 25 Michigan school districts, from Southeast Michigan to the Upper Peninsula. The EPA’s Clean School Bus Program (CSBP) of grants and rebates provides $5 billion nationwide through fiscal year 2026. Additional rounds of CSBP grants provided $5.9 million announced in January 2024 for up to 66 buses at eight districts and $23.98 million announced in May 2024 for 100 buses at 27 districts.

Also in 2024, MDE announced its first and second rounds of CBEG funding: nearly $30 million in June to help 29 school districts buy 114 buses powered by electricity, propane, or natural gas; and $15.2 million in October to help 21 districts buy 40 electric buses and 17 propane buses. Including the newest grants, CBEG has awarded more than $81 million.

Grant funds generally cover a significant portion of the costs for vehicles and infrastructure, with the balance paid from local sources.

EGLE Director Phil Roos recently joined officials welcoming 18 electric school buses and 20 chargers to Dearborn Public Schools.

“This is not just an upgrade to a school fleet,” he said. “It’s a bold investment in reliability, cost savings, and the health of our students and drivers.”

Cleaner school buses offer many benefits, according to the EPA. With no or low emissions compared to diesel engines, they result in cleaner air on buses, in bus loading areas, and in the communities where they operate.

Diesel exhaust can lower air quality and impact the environment and human health, especially for children who have breathe faster than adults and whose lungs are not yet fully developed.

Districts also save money on maintenance and gasoline, freeing up resources that can go back into classrooms.

And electric buses are quiet. Educators say without the racket of diesel engines, kids show up to school less distracted and more focused on learning.

Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is a key goal of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan for a prosperous, healthy, clean energy future for all Michiganders.

Applications for a final CBEG round of up to approximately $44 million are due Dec. 18, 2025.

Here are the schools and districts awarded grant funding for the latest CBEG round. Some awards include funding for charging infrastructure and related costs:

• Anchor Bay School District: $984,738 for three electric buses.
• Ann Arbor Public Schools: $4.09 million for 10 electric buses.
• Athens Area Schools: $2.05 million for five electric buses.
• Buchanan Community Schools: $161,530 for four propane buses.
• Chippewa Valley Schools: $3.48 million for 10 electric buses.
• Dearborn Academy: $334,001 for electric charging infrastructure.
• Ferndale Public Schools: $1.078 million for three electric buses.
• Godfrey-Lee Public Schools: $60,343 for one propane bus.
• Gwinn Area Community Schools: $52,816 for one propane bus.
• Lansing Public Schools: $4.31 million for 10 electric buses.
• New Haven Community Schools: $78,927 for two propane buses.
• North Branch Area Schools: $1.28 million for four electric buses.
• Pellston Public Schools: $1.71 million for five electric buses.
• Riverview Community School District: $57,294 for one propane bus.
• Southfield Public Schools: $3.72 million for 10 electric buses.
• Standish-Sterling Community Schools: $57,339 for one propane bus.
• Stockbridge Community Schools: $3.49 million for six electric buses.
• Traverse City Area Public Schools: $600,000 for two electric buses.
• Troy School District: $961,330 for two electric buses.
• Union City Community Schools: $2.18 million for six electric buses.
• Van Buren Public Schools: $4.08 million for eight electric buses.
• West Bloomfield School District: $308,741 for one electric buses.
• Westwood Heights Schools: $778,669 for two electric buses.