Clean Transportation and Enhanced Access for All Porterville Students
Clean Mobility in Schools Program
Porterville Unified School District (PUSD) | Clean Transportation and Enhanced Access for All Porterville Students
August 2024—April 2027
The Porterville Unified School District (PUSD) aims to enhance pupil transportation and promotes transportation equity through two complementary objectives within their Clean Mobility in Schools grant. PUSD is implementing and optimizing routing for its 47 yellow school buses using pupil transportation routing software that accounts for vehicle range and charging locations. The project includes a student-led evaluation and reporting component, conducted in partnership with Climate Action Pathways for Schools (CAPS), the Tule River Tribe, and the Native Star Foundation, that collects and analyzes data to help evaluate project outcomes. PUSD has launched, in partnership with Via, a zero-emission micro-transit service that expands transportation access for students in the PUSD Pathways Program traveling to alternative school placements, internships, and job sites, while also providing transportation for period zero classes, in-town travel from study centers, evening extracurricular activities, Boys & Girls Club programs, and educational and enrichment programs during school breaks. Together, these projects support cleaner transportation options, reduce reliance on private vehicles, improve community air quality, and expand equitable access to educational, workforce, and enrichment opportunities for PUSD students.
Zero-Emission micro-transit fleet
Spring Break Student Intern Training Session
Student intern project activities
Funding Details
Grant Amount: $9,124,361
By the Numbers
Services, Vehicles & Equipment Funded
- 2 leased-to-own zero-emission passengers vans with wheelchair lifts acquired for the micro-transit services
- 10 leased-to-own zero-emission passenger vehicles acquired for the micro-transit services
- 18 Active drivers who reflect the student community
- 14,700+ rides provided to date
- 281 unique student riders served to date
- 10 student interns hired to lead the data collection efforts
Estimated Quantifiable Benefits
- GHG emission reductions: 3,780 MTCO2e
- NOx reductions: 1,457 lbs
- PM2.5 reductions: 96 lbs
- ROG reductions: 247 lbs
Community Details
PUSD’s boundaries include eleven census tracts, including the Tule River Tribe of California, that qualify as disadvantaged. The City's median household income is 58% of California's statewide average ($48,995 compared to $84,097), with poverty and employment rates exceeding the statewide average by 16 and 17 percentage points, respectively. With a population of 62,623, the 2021 demographics of the PUSD are: 65.6% Hispanic; 25.6% White; 0.6% African American; 1.1% Native American; 5% Asian American; and 3.8% two or more races. Nearly 90% of Pathways students identify as non-White or of Hispanic/Latino origin.
Partners
Subgrantees
- Climate Action Pathways for Schools (CAPS)
- Native Star Foundation, Inc.
- Via Transportation, Inc
- Nomad Transit LLC
Community Partners
Contact
Dr. Brad Rohrbach | (559) 793-2450 | Porterville Unified School District