3 Tips on Finding Financing for Cleaner School Buses

As resources at local government levels become scarcer, many school districts wishing to upgrade their fleets of school buses are being forced to stand by while they attempt to find funding. Truth be told, this aspect of trying to buy buses that offer the healthiest environment possible while students are being transported from home to school and back has become more difficult as well as lenders have become more cautious with their funding.

While the current environment may be extremely challenging, there are still financing sources that can make upgrading a fleet of school buses a reality. Here are 3 tips on finding the financing your district needs to buy cleaner school buses:

• Assemble a detailed account of the age of the buses in the district fleet as well as their overall condition – This process will help to determine the available sources for funding as well as the most advantageous programs for rebates and other forms of assistance.
• Assess whether the district has the ability to match funds – It’s not uncommon for financing to require the matching of funds from the school district. Having a handle on whether matching funds are available can speed the process of getting funded.  
• Look for partners – There may be non-financial assistance in the form of non-profit groups that can connect the school district to local business that offer sponsorships, such as corporate sponsorships or charitable events.

While funding may be challenging at this point in time, it can still be found. Starting the process by being prepared with data related to your existing fleet as well as the funding available from local sources and your district will be well on the way toward the purchases of a new fleet of buses.

Retro-fitting Diesel Engines versus Switching to Natural Gas Powered School Buses

As government agencies across the country tighten the emission levels on aged school buses, many school districts are being faced with a decision to either retro-fit the diesel engines on their fleet or replace them with engines that are powered by natural gas or compressed natural gas (CNG). One example of the upcoming regulations on emissions is the requirement by California Air Resources Board which mandates that school districts add emission controls such as filters to older diesel powered school buses by the year 2018 to reduce the emission of soot and other pollutants. Buses that aren’t retro-fitted by that time must be removed from service.

Retro-fitting older school buses is a far less expensive proposal than buying new ones and can reduce emissions substantially, but there are arguments against these types of emission controls as well. The arguments against retro-fitting include additional maintenance expenses and the fact that, even with drastic reductions in emissions, schoolchildren are still breathing a cocktail of soot and pollutants when they ride on older school buses. Further arguments against retro-fitting are that 1980’s era school buses are so dirty that filters would have to be replaced so often that school buses would be in the garage more than they would be on the road.

The other option for school districts is to replace old diesel engines with natural gas or CNG powered engines that will likely cost more initially but provide savings over time with lower fuel costs (when measured by present day prices) as well as less frequent and less expensive maintenance requirements than retro-fitted engines. The other big advantage of these replacement fuels is that children would travel in a much healthier environment, which is hard to put a price on.