Michigan schools have secured funding for over 300 electric buses. Here’s where they are now.

In 2019, Michigan provided $4.2 million in grants to seven school districts to purchase clean, electric school buses.

Five years after that pilot program, 61 districts have secured some level of state or federal funding to increase the state’s number of electric school buses to over 300.

RELATED: Michigan’s first electric school buses got off to a rocky start. What went wrong?

The recent wave of federal grants from the Clean School Bus Program has helped 27 districts fund 104 buses that run on clean energy.

Below is a map of school districts selected for grants for electric buses and associated charging infrastructure from 2019 through June 2024.

The same information is available further down in the database. Click on a column heading to reorder the information.

The initial cost of electric buses is higher than that of traditional internal combustion buses, which can pose a hurdle for districts grappling with how best to allocate their money.

RELATED: These 27 schools in Michigan are getting new electric buses

Grant programs have given districts like Three Rivers Community Schools in St. Joseph County the opportunity to experiment with electrification.

“It wouldn’t be possible otherwise,” says Kenni Jean Schrader, the district’s transportation officer, who was able to raise funding for a total of four buses in two separate rounds.

Transitioning to electric power has been challenging for the Michigan counties that first made the switch earlier this decade, and their difficulties will hopefully make the transition easier for counties that follow suit.

“I’ve heard districts say, ‘We don’t want to be the guinea pig,’ and I’ve said, ‘But you’re not; we’ve already been your guinea pig,'” Schrader said.

“Be prepared, there will be challenges, but also know that there are districts like mine that have already walked this path and are here to help where we can.”

Environmentalists say it is crucial to move away from heavy diesel buses, which emit large amounts of harmful exhaust fumes, contribute to poor air quality and accelerate the climate-warming greenhouse effect.

Initial reports from school districts suggest that savings can be made in running costs and air pollution from exhaust emissions. Quieter buses are an added bonus.

Over the past three years, the Clean School Bus Program has provided nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 buses for more than 1,000 schools across the country, with additional funding available through the bipartisan infrastructure bill through fiscal year 2026.

For more information about the program, visit epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.