Fort Bend ISD has purchased eight new school buses, all equipped with seatbelts, through a state grant program that helps districts replace aging diesel fleets.

The buses will be the district's first to include seatbelts since March, Director of Strategic Communications Maria DiPetta confirmed in an email to Community Impact on Friday, Sept. 4.

"All the new buses have seatbelts, making them the district's first set of buses with seatbelts since March," DiPetta said.

The purchase is complete. The buses will be available for use after they pass inspection, DiPetta said, though no specific inspection date has been announced.

How the program works

The Texas Clean School Bus Program is administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as part of the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan. The statewide program offered $16.3 million in grants to help school districts, open-enrollment charter schools and countywide transportation systems replace or retrofit older diesel buses with cleaner alternatives.

Grants cover up to 80% of eligible replacement costs. To qualify, buses proposed for replacement must be 2006 model year or older and must have been owned and operated by the applicant in Texas for at least two years before the grant application.

That means the eight buses leaving Fort Bend ISD's fleet are at least 20 years old.

The program's application window ran from Oct. 29, 2025, through May 22, 2026, with funds awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

The specific grant dollar amount Fort Bend ISD received has not been disclosed.

What families should know

Fort Bend ISD serves students at Ridge Point, Elkins and Marshall high schools in Missouri City. The eight new buses will replace older models in the fleet once they clear inspection, but no timeline for when students will begin riding them has been announced.

DiPetta did not explain why the district had no seatbelt-equipped buses between March and the new purchase.