# EPA Revises Clean School Bus Program

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has paused further funding under its Biden-era Clean School Bus Program due to delivery delays and manufacturer challenges, with less than 40% of the funded electric school buses delivered nationwide as of 2026. The EPA plans to issue a revised Notice of Funding Opportunity in November 2026 to expand eligibility beyond electric buses to include a broader range of clean fuel technologies. Meanwhile, the program has funded approximately 8,700 electric school buses across nearly all 50 states, including Oakland Unified School District's fleet of 74 electric buses equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology capable of returning up to 2.1 gigawatt-hours annually to California's grid. This transition highlights ongoing challenges in electric vehicle procurement and deployment, as well as emerging opportunities in grid integration and clean transportation.

- Procurement professionals should anticipate new funding opportunities under the revised EPA program starting November 2026, with expanded technology eligibility beyond electric buses.
- Contractors and manufacturers must address delivery and production challenges to meet federal grant requirements and support school districts nationwide.
- The integration of V2G technology in electric school buses presents emerging market opportunities for hardware standardization, utility tariff development, and aggregation software solutions.
- State and local education agencies can leverage lessons from early adopters like Oakland Unified to optimize fleet electrification and grid support capabilities.

**Jurisdictions:** federal, sled
**Industries:** Transportation, Environment, Energy & Utilities
**Topics:** Grants & Funding, Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** September 25, 2026

### Government Entities
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Congress
- Oakland Unified School District
- California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
- Southern California Edison (SCE)

### Vendors
- Lion Electric (awardee)
- Highland Electric (awardee)
- First Student (awardee)

### Key Quotes
> We’re on track to have more than 1,000 electric school buses on the road by the end of this school year, and we’re approaching 12 million electric miles driven.
> — Kevin Matthews, Head of Electrification, First Student

### Sources
- [Exclusive | Less than 40% of EV school buses purchased with Biden-era EPA grants have been delivered](https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/us-news/less-than-40-of-ev-school-buses-purchased-with-biden-era-epa-grants-have-been-delivered) - New York Post
- [A fleet of 74 electric school buses in Oakland is designed to return up to 2.1 gigawatt-hours to California's grid each year, while a federal program has now funded approximately 8,700 electric buses across nearly all 50 states](https://gcn.com/fleet-electric-school-buses-oakland-designed/21922) - gcn.com