Applications are closed. Projects are underway.
All Applicants must serve students within the K-12th grade levels. Eligible entities include:
- California Public School Districts
- California Public Charter Schools*
- California Joint Power Authorities (JPAs)
- California County Offices of Education (COEs)
*Charter schools classified as a non-classroom-based charter school as of FY 2021-22 are not eligible entities. Private schools are also not eligible entities.
Public school districts in California that own their own school buses are eligible to participate. This includes public school districts that own their school buses but contract with a COE or private contractor for maintenance and operations. Where two or more public school districts have formed a JPA, and the JPA holds ownership of the school buses, the JPA is eligible to participate. JPAs may use their highest priority criteria school district to serve as the basis for eligibility. Public charter schools that own their own school buses and COEs that own their own school buses are also eligible to participate.
For more information, see Page 6 of the CARB’s ZESBI Implementation Manual.
Old School Bus Requirements
Key Requirement Summary
Participation in ZESBI requires the scrappage of an old school bus for each zero-emission school bus and charger requested. The old school bus can be any internal combustion engine using any fuel type (gasoline, diesel, propane, or compressed natural gas) and must meet the following requirements:
1
Model Year Requirement
The school bus chassis must be a 2010 model year or older. The school bus chassis age is verified by the model year listed on the State of California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Registration Form.
2
Ownership Requirement
The school bus must be Applicant owned. The school bus cannot have a lienholder listed on the DMV Registration Form.
3
Weight Rating Requirement
The school bus must have a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 pounds. School bus(es) with a GVWR of exactly 10,000 pounds or less than 10,000 pounds are not eligible.
4
Model Year Requirement
The school bus must have a current California Highway Patrol Safety Certification (CHP 292 or equivalent) at the time of Application Part A submission. A non-certified school bus will not be able to continue within the application process.
5
Regulation Compliance Requirement
If a school bus is diesel-fueled and greater than 14,000 pounds GVWR, the school bus must be compliant with the California Truck and Bus Regulation in order to receive a full incentive amount. In cases where the old school bus is not compliant, a $20,000 incentive deduction will be applied per non-compliant school bus. For further information please consult the Truck and Bus Regulation Fact Sheet.
For more information, see page 10 of the CARB’s ZESBI Implementation Manual.
Applicant Prioritization
Funds are allocated according to three priority tiers. Applicants within each tier are ranked based on the timestamp of submission of their complete Application Part A. The timestamp on any application that is missing materials or otherwise deemed incomplete will not be recorded until all application materials are submitted.
Disadvantaged Community (DAC) and Low Income Community (LIC) designations are applied using the California Climate Investments Priority Populations map, located online at https://webmaps.arb.ca.gov/PriorityPopulations/.
| Priority Tier | Defined As… |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 |
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| Tier 2 |
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| Tier 3 |
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For more information, see Page 8 of the CARB’s ZESBI Implementation Manual.
To determine your LEA’s priority tier, please refer to the LEA Prioritization List linked below.