Driven to Change P
Incentive plans for alternative-fuel buses get high-octane ratings By Art Gissendaner
rograms designed to subsidize the purchase of alterna- tive fuel vehicles and other environmentally-friendly transportation options for school districts are receiving high marks from transportation officials from Texas to
California. And while school transportation officials praise how the programs are administered, they remain concerned about the ongoing availability of adequate funding. “Te programs are working,” says Ralph Knight, transportation
director for the Napa Valley Unified School District in northern California. “Tere’s not a lot you can do to improve the process; you just hope there is enough money.” Te assistance comes in the form of vouchers, grants, tax incen- tives and rebates. Te options supported by each state or regional
54 School Transportation News Magazine July 2011
agency reflect the severity of local air quality problems. California has emerged as a national leader in addressing air quality conditions. Since 2001, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has chan- neled $300 million to school districts through the state’s 35 air quality districts, replacing polluting buses with CNG buses and ret- rofitting others with pollution control equipment, leaving it without peers in its monetary commitment to addressing air quality issues. All incentive funding is applied toward the purchase price
of the buses. No one takes home any change. Only paperwork changes hands. Knight has applied for a little more than $3 million for 20 die-
sel-electric hybrid buses, his largest single request. He said the Bay Area Air Quality Management District offers grants up to
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