School Bus Program’s first two rounds. At this report, Highland said it owns and operates over 600 electric school buses for large and small districts across 35 states, for which it also aggregates Clean School Bus Program applications, and all Canadian provinces. Levinson noted that in the future, districts could likely finance electric bus purchases based on the savings that would be expected over time. The $20 billion in green finance-related funding that the Biden admin- istration announced on April 4 could be used for such lending. Levinson said she’s talked to lenders who are eager to help districts invest in clean buses. But with the grant landscape still rosy, she said, such deals are not yet necessary. “Frankly there’s so much free money out there that districts don’t even need to finance based on the savings,” she said. “That said, everyone is really excited about the potential to finance electric school buses as part of their offerings. Depending on the institution, it’s anticipated they could offer below market-rate capital. If [a lender is] getting free money from the government, sometimes you can offer it at zero interest.” Electric utilities are also often eager to help with charging infrastructure. “If you’re an electric utility it’s a no-brainer,” Levinson said. “It’s a new


revenue stream, they’re all for it. They’re an untapped resource. Districts may not instinctively think of them as a partner in this journey, but they are an implementation partner and financial partner.” ●


Frankly, there’s so much free money out there that districts don’t even need to finance based


on the savings. -Michelle Levinson, World Resources Institute


34 School Transportation News • JUNE 2024


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68