$45M Electric School Bus Program Coming To NJ Under New Bill

NEW JERSEY - Diesel-run school buses may be a thing of the past under a new bill in Trenton proposing a $45 million electric school bus pilot program.

The legislation, passed the Assembly appropriations committee Thursday and now awaiting a committee vote in the Senate, would require the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to develop an annual $15 million electric school bus program over the course of three years, totaling $45 million.

Sponsored by Sen. Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex) and Assemblyman Sterley S. Stanley (D-Middlesex), the bills would fund 18 school districts or school bus contractors in purchasing battery-powered buses and charging supplies annually, for a total of 18 districts or contractors over three years.

The DEP would be the agency responsible for selecting the funding recipients.

“The purpose of the program is to determine the operational reliability and cost effectiveness of replacing diesel-powered school buses with electric school buses for daily transportation of students,” according to a statement from the state Senate Transportation Committee.

At least half of the districts or bus contractors annually selected and at least half of grant recipients must be located in a “low-income, urban, or environmental justice community, per the bill. The DEP must also do its best to select an equal number of recipients from across all regions of the state.

You can read the full bill here.