July 15, 2022. The Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) is working to upgrade its bus fleet, investing in cleaner-burning fuel and air conditioning — which some buses still lack.
CVUSD will use a $1.2 million grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District to help expand a compressed natural gas bus (CNG) fueling station.
The grant program is intended to encourage organizations to purchase cleaner engines, vehicles and equipment to support the state’s air quality goals.
CNG is an alternative to gasoline. Compared to conventional diesel and gasoline vehicles, natural gas vehicles offer reduced greenhouse gas emissions and other air quality benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The grant dovetails with the school district’s multiyear, $15 million plan to invest in a cleaner, newer bus fleet.
In 2020, CVUSD invested $2.5 million to purchase 10 new CNG buses. It now operates 27, and is in the process of adding 25 more, according to a board report.
However, the district still uses 62 diesel buses and is seeking funding to replace them over the next few years, the report says.
When CVUSD applied for the grant, its natural gas compressor station could handle 20 buses. It plans to nearly quadruple that capacity to 75 CNG buses, the report says.