state-electric-school-buses-us-april-2023-7140ccf9346b2b4d.pdf

This report by the World Resources Institute (WRI), updated April 26, 2023, tracks the adoption of electric school buses (ESBs) in the United States. Based on data through December 31, 2022, it highlights a rapid increase in 'committed' buses—those awarded, ordered, delivered, or operating—driven largely by the EPA's Clean School Bus Rebate Program. The report analyzes the geographic distribution of these buses, the impact of funding sources, the types of buses being adopted, and the equity of distribution across low-income and minority communities.

• As of December 2022, there were 5,612 committed electric school buses in the United States, representing nearly double the number recorded in WRI's September 2022 dataset. Of these, 1,398 buses were either on order, delivered, or operating, while 971 buses across 37 states had been delivered or were in operation.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Rebate Program is the primary driver of growth, awarding over $900 million for more than 2,400 buses to 389 school districts. This program enabled ESB commitments in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and four tribal nations.
• California leads the U.S. in adoption with over 1,800 committed buses, which is more than five times the amount of the next leading state, Maryland (361 commitments). However, distribution is becoming more balanced; California's share of committed buses dropped from over 50% before October 2022 to 39% by December 2022, while the South now holds a 34% share.
• The EPA's Clean School Bus Program is the largest funding source with 2,451 buses funded, followed by California's Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP) with 1,032 buses. California-specific funding sources account for five of the top ten largest funding sources.
• Larger bus models dominate the market, with Type C buses making up 53.5% of committed ESBs and Type D buses accounting for 27.2%. The three major manufacturers are Blue Bird, Thomas Built Buses, and Lion Electric.
• Adoption shows trends toward equity, with the Clean School Bus Program funding the majority of buses in high-need categories: 100% for districts in U.S. territories, 88% for tribal districts, 83% for rural districts, and 65% for districts in the highest quartile of low-income households.
• Two-thirds of electric school buses are located in school districts within the highest quartile of non-white and/or Hispanic residents, though this is a decrease from 80% in September 2022. Additionally, districts with the highest levels of PM2.5 air pollution have committed more electric school buses.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). state-electric-school-buses-us-april-2023-7140ccf9346b2b4d.pdf. http://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-09/state-electric-school-buses-us-april-2023.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. state-electric-school-buses-us-april-2023-7140ccf9346b2b4d.pdf. n.d. http://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-09/state-electric-school-buses-us-april-2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=state-electric-school-buses-us-april-2023-7140ccf9346b2b4d.pdf |url=http://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-09/state-electric-school-buses-us-april-2023.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendstateelectricschoolbusesusapril20237140ccf9346b2b4dpdf, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{state-electric-school-buses-us-april-2023-7140ccf9346b2b4d.pdf}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {http://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-09/state-electric-school-buses-us-april-2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }