California Air Resources Board

Proposition 1B, approved by California voters on November 7th, 2006, enacted the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act of 2006 (Bond Act) which authorized $19.925 billion of state general obligation bonds for specified purposes, including high-priority transportation corridor improvements, State Route 99 corridor enhancements, trade infrastructure and port security projects, school bus retrofit and replacement purposes, state transportation improvement program augmentation, transit and passenger rail improvements, state-local partnership transportation projects, transit security projects, local bridge seismic retrofit projects, highway-railroad grade separation and crossing improvement projects, state highway safety and rehabilitation projects, and local street and road improvement, congestion relief, and traffic safety.

The Bond Act authorized $200 million for replacing and retrofitting school buses. Funds were available upon appropriation by the Legislature for the Lower-Emission School Bus Program to fund replacement school buses and retrofit devices thereby reducing air pollution and reducing children's exposure to diesel exhaust.

Administrative Agency: California Environmental Protection Agency / California Air Resources Board (CARB)

Guidelines: CARB used the 2008 Lower-Emission School Bus Program Guidelines along with the subsequent Mail-Outs and Advisories.

Recipient Agencies: Local air districts and the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association

Accountability Plan: The three-part School Bus Bond Accountability Plan for this Program, required by Executive Order S-02-07, was approved by the Department of Finance on February 27, 2008. 

Program Status and Final Annual Report: CARB received 100 percent of its projected funding of approximately $196 million, as detailed in the Final Allocation of Bond Fund Installments for the Lower-Emission School Bus Program (Program). All funds have been allocated and spent as of June 2014.

Final project benefits:

• Number of School Bus Replacements: 1,042
• Number of School Bus Retrofits: 3,592