have stepped up to streamline the application process and provide advice to school dis- tricts on what they need to do to be eligible for funding. “Te AQMD has been a
great partner,” Wilkes adds. “Tey’ve been very helpful an- swering questions about when to submit and what to submit, so they’ve been an excellent partner. CARB notifies us by e-mail when various grants be- come available.” Knight says school districts
and the agencies have become familiar with each others’ needs, and that helps. “Most of us in the mainstream that deal with this regularly do it wholeheartedly. We know the people we are working with and have good relationships.” Carl Garcia, shop supervisor
in the Madera Unified School District outside Fresno, is also a satisfied participant. “Overall the program is
$170,000 for hybrid buses. He said another $20,000 voucher is available from CARB. Tere is a built-in incentive for trans- portation officials to become experts at applying for funds. Te myriad programs and
funding sources at the state and federal levels can enable the experienced funding loca- tor to generate a windfall. “If you learn how (the pro-
grams) work, they can bring you a lot
of success,” says
Knight, who will participate on an alternative fuels panel this month at the STN EXPO. “I’ve been very successful with them over the years. If you are creative enough and work with your sales people, you can get a bus for practically nothing. Te system does work.”
A major beneficiary of the
funding program is the Los An- geles Unified School District, which received a $44 million award from the South Coast Air Quality Management Dis- trict for 260 CNG buses and some critical infrastructure upgrades. Interim Transporta- tion Director Donald Wilkes says the district’s out-of-pocket costs were $16,000 in matching funds per bus or $4,160,000. “Tere are other grants that
you may qualify for that will help you a great deal,” Wilkes adds. “So it is true you may get away with paying almost noth- ing, but I don’t know of anyone who has gotten away for free.” Te consensus among
school districts is that local air quality districts and CARB
working fantastic,” says Gar- cia, whose district is seeking help from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to purchase 12 CNG buses during the current funding cycle. “Te amount per bus varies with each grant and the grant indicates what it can be used for. It’s up to you to see what works for you. School districts are broke so we’re trying to get help from wherever we can.” Todd
Franssen, Southern
California sales manager for dealership BusWest said grants and vouchers are available for hybrid vehicles, propane and CNG buses, replacement buses and even for buses that increase the size of your fleet. He said the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District located between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara will pay the entire cost of a CNG bus, but
school districts must kick in up to $15,000 for a cleaner die- sel burning bus. “You can mix and match,”
Franssen suggests. “You can use the Ventura replacement money and the Hybrid Vehi- cle Incentive Program (HVIP) money to buy a bus and get it pretty much for free.” People breathe a little easier
in Texas. While school districts are urged to comply with EPA emission standards, the state’s retrofit funding pro- gram reflects a reduced sense of urgency. Nolan Anderson, executive director of trans- portation for the Northeast Independent School District in San Antonio, says that, while his district has taken advantage of $283,240 in state- funded retrofits over the past two years, he is looking hard at hybrid buses for the future. “I am definitely looking at
going to the alternative fuel option but not getting away from diesel entirely,” Anderson says. “I am looking at a diesel/ electric hybrid. Tis is in line with where the industry is go- ing overall. With the new diesel fuel requirements, the air com- ing out of the exhaust is just as clean as the air going in.” Anderson says that the elec-
tricity option will not only be environmentally friendly, but it will eventually drive down the cost of diesel fuel making it a desirable option. Dan Alverts, transportation
supervisor for the Meridian School District in Bellingham, Wash., said he was impressed by CNG airport buses during a recent trip to Phoenix and would like to eventually pur- sue that option. He echoed the concerns of educators and vendors when he commented on mileage and infrastructure limitations.
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