Of the 21,700 school buses registered in New Jersey, more than 99% run on fossil fuels.
While providing vital transportation services, these buses negatively impact the health of students and residents of the communities in which they operate. To address this issue, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Electric School Bus Grant program provides up to $15 million per year for three years to replace diesel school buses with battery-electric school buses per P.L. 2022, c.86.
The grant program implements the law, passed in 2022, and is designed to encourage and monitor the transition to electric school buses. In each year of funding, at least half of the school districts or school bus contractors selected by the department must operate within an overburdened community. Additionally, the department aims to select an equal number of grantees from the northern, central, and southern regions of the state, respectively.
- Northern (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Union, Sussex and Warren counties).
- Central (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Somerset counties).
- Southern (Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem counties).
Grant Eligibility Two types of entities are eligible to apply for grant funding: school districts that own their buses and school bus contractors that provide busing services to schools. School bus contractors must apply in conjunction with a specified school or school district. A single school bus contractor may apply in conjunction with multiple schools or school districts, although they must submit a separate application for each individual school or school district they are applying with.
Webinars for More Information Details of the program will be released in the beginning of February. The following webinars will be held.
- Webinar 1: Why Electric School Buses? Join us to learn about the benefits of electrifying your school bus fleet. We will discuss common barriers to adoption and provide recommendations, tools and technical assistance for successful deployments. Hear from electric school bus owners on their experience. Bring your questions and participate in our live Q&A session.
- Thursday, Feb. 1, from 12 to 2 p.m. ET.
- Join the Microsoft Teams webinar.
- Dial in 1-856-338-7074 and use phone conference ID 269 716 550#.
- Webinar 2: An Overview of New Jersey’s Electric School Bus Program Solicitation. Learn the details of this program and how to apply. Bring your questions and participate in our live Q&A session.
- Tuesday, Feb. 6, 12 to 1 p.m. ET.
- Join the Microsoft Teams webinar.
- Dial in 1-856-338-7074 and use phone conference ID 835 254 029#.
- Webinar 3: Interested in Applying for the Bi-directional Charging Pilot? Join us for a deeper dive into understanding the specifics of this pilot. Bring your questions and participate in our live Q&A session.
- Wednesday, Feb. 14th, 12 to 2 p.m. ET.
- Join the Microsoft Teams webinar.
- Dial in 1-856-338-7074 and use 498 691 889#.
A comprehensive report on electric school buses, “Electrification of New Jersey’s School Buses: Benefits, Barriers and Opportunities,” was published in November 2023 by Gabel Associates.
Grant applications are due Friday, May 17, 2024, by 5 p.m. ET.
More information is available on the NJDEP website. Please contact the New Jersey DEP via email with any questions, including “Electric School Bus Grant Program” in the subject line.