BALTIMORE — State officials are considering $3 million to allow school systems to purchase electric school buses.

This is part of the new Electric School Bus Grant Programseeking to revamp Maryland’s diesel bus fleet.

Only about 5 percent of Maryland school buses are currently electric.

The state has 8,000 to 10,000 school buses in total (according to a 2023 reportt), and about 400 are electric, the MDE said.

The Maryland Department of the Environment announced it is now accepting applications for $3 million in state grants. MDE now also takes public comments for a program to provide an additional $17 million for electric school buses.

Nine school districts in Maryland currently have electric buses.

Baltimore City and Montgomery County are “leading the way,” MDE said in a news release.

Baltimore City added 25 electric buses last year, while Montgomery County added 120.

MDE Secretary Serena McIlwain noted in a statement that “transportation accounts for more than 40 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions, so supporting clean technologies is critical to reducing air pollution.”