Blue Bird Corporation, the leader in electric and low-emission school buses, applauds today’s announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award landmark funding for over 2,400 clean school buses to school districts spanning all 50 U.S. states, several Tribes and U.S. territories. 95 percent of the buses will be electric, zero-emission vehicles.

The EPA selected 389 applications prioritizing low-income, rural, and Tribal communities. The vast majority of recipients meet the priority definition under the EPA’s 2022 Clean School Bus Rebates program, resulting in access to more funds for buses and electric vehicle infrastructure for schools in areas that need them the most.

“Today’s historic funding announcement by the EPA accelerates the adoption of clean student transportation in the United States. It's a major step to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and to put student and community health first,” said Matthew Stevenson, president and CEO, Blue Bird Corporation. ”As the industry leader in zero- and low-emission school buses, Blue Bird continues to expand electric school bus production to 20 vehicles a day by the end of 2023 to meet increasing U.S. demand.”

The 2022 Clean School Bus Rebate Program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) which provides a total of $5 billion over five years for clean school bus transportation. In September 2022, EPA announced it had nearly doubled the amount of first round funding to $965 million. The rebate program accelerates the replacement of diesel-powered school buses with zero- and low-emission school buses. The funds will also assist school districts and other eligible participants to establish the required clean energy infrastructure.

Blue Bird is the only U.S.-owned and operated school bus manufacturer in the United States. The company manufactures its school buses in Fort Valley, Ga. The shift to clean student transportation helps Blue Bird sustain approx. 2,000 good-paying jobs.