EPA Clean Bus Grant

SPPS School Bus Contractor First Student Receives Clean Bus Grant

January 16th, 2024

Last week, the Biden-Harris administration announced that First Student and one other bus company in Minnesota will receive funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to purchase low- and zero-emission school buses. The buses will be used for three school districts, including 10 buses for Saint Paul Public Schools, which will begin operating as soon as the 2025-26 school year.

First Student will own all of the buses and is required to use 10 of the electric buses exclusively for SPPS routes. These buses will replace diesel buses owned by First Student. The grant also includes charging stations, which will be located at First Student’s bus garage in Oakdale.

SPPS applied for the first round of clean bus funding in 2022 with First Student and was not selected. A third round of funding is currently open, and SPPS is working with First Student to apply to replace an additional 25 diesel buses. More information about the Clean School Bus Program can be found on the EPA website: epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.

This work is part of the SPPS Energy Action Plan, which aims to reduce the district’s overall greenhouse emissions 45% by 2030.