Tomorrow's Buses
for Today's Children
CL EAN SCHOOL BUS
SE
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www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus
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Steer Your Community
in the Right Direction
buses provide 24 million of
our nation's children with safe and
convenient transportation between
their homes and classrooms. On
average, children spend more than an
hour on a bus each school day as well
as time waiting for, and getting on and
off, the bus.
Unfortunately, school buses—
particularly older ones that lack
emissions control devices—emit tiny,
sooty particles and toxic gases in their
exhaust that can pose health hazards to
children. When inhaled, pollutants in
diesel exhaust may aggravate asthma
and allergies or cause other serious
health problems for our children.
Nevertheless, accident statistics
indicate that school buses are the safest way to transport children. By adopting
better idling practices, retrofitting buses with modern emission control technology,
using cleaner fuels, and replacing older school buses, we can help put tomorrow's
cleaner buses on the road today.
"We know that breathing diesel exhaust is not good
for anyone. It has an especially significant impact on
children's health since they have a faster breathing
rate than adults. The Clean School Bus USA program
provides us a great opportunity to make a difference
and reduce the amount of air pollution created by
school buses. The school districts and communities
that are already improving the air quality around our
schools by providing the cleanest school buses
should be recognized as leaders in providing
healthier environments for today's children."
—Margo Tsirigotis Oge, Director,
Office of Transportation and Air Quality, U.S. EPA
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Help Clear the Air with
Clean School Bus USA
Clean School Bus USA is a new initiative sponsored by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help our communities
reduce pollution from school buses. It's a partnership of
educators, industry and corporate partners, transportation experts,
public health officials, and other community leaders who are
committed to protecting children's health and modernizing America's
school bus fleet.
Clean School Bus USA is also a call to action for communities to
join the partnership to begin work at the local level toward three
important goals:
/Deduce school bus idling time and
adopt smart driving practices.
Retrofit the current school bus fleet
with new technologies and
introduce cleaner fuels.
Replace the oldest buses with new
ones that meet stringent pollution
control standards.
"The Portland School District uses
scheduling and routing software to
keep buses moving efficiently. We
want to be on the leading edge
when it comes to protecting our
students from harmful pollutants."
— Kevin Mallory, Transportation Director
for the City of Portland, Maine Schools
For More Information
If you are interested in learning more about
Clean School Bus USA, e-mail us at
cleanschoolbususa@epa.gov, leave a voice
message at 734-214-4780, or visit our Web
site at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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Don't Be Idle: Improve Our
Air and Save Money, Too
Idling school buses pollute the air that children breathe. Pollutants can accumulate
inside the bus and outdoors near the bus. Exhaust from idling engines may also
be sucked into building ventilation systems, affecting air quality inside schools.
Drivers may occasionally need to let their engines idle briefly to warm the engine or
run equipment, such as defrosters, but most idling is not necessary. Eliminating
unnecessary idling is a simple, cost-effective way to help reduce children's exposure
to air pollution.
Many school districts and local
governments have developed
initiatives to reduce school bus
idling. In New England, for example,
several government agencies have
enacted idle time regulations,
created educational materials for
bus drivers, and developed idling
policy guidelines.
NO
ENGINE
IDLING
Reduce Idling Time—The Savings Add Up!
If...
/A school bus fleet has 50 buses
/A school bus fleet reduces idling time by 30 minutes per bus per day
/A typical school bus uses a half gallon of diesel fuel per hour of idling
/ Diesel fuel costs $1.00 per gallon
Then...
What are the annual savings?
Fuel Cost = 50 buses x 0.5 hours/day x 0.5 gallons of fuel/hour
x $1.00 per gallon x 180 days
Savings = 2,250 gallons of diesel fuel and $2,250
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the Green Light to Cleaner
Fuels and Technologies
EPA is working aggressively to reduce pollution from new diesel buses by requiring
them to meet tougher emission standards in the future. Tighter standards for
new buses are scheduled to take effect starting in 2004 and again in 2007.
These standards won't apply to existing
buses, however, and school buses can be in
operation for 20 to 30 years. Without special
action, it will take many years before new
buses meeting the new pollution limits
dominate our school bus fleet. In fact,
today's kindergartner will be in college before
the fleet fully turns over to reflect the benefits
of the new standards.
The good news is that today's buses can
take advantage of cleaner technologies and
fuels similar to those that will be used to
meet future emission standards. Retrofits
with such systems can reduce pollution from
current buses by 90 percent or more.
Nationwide, more and more school bus
projects are underway, and a growing
number of school districts are interested in
retrofitting their fleets. School bus retrofit
projects will benefit school children and help
improve local air quality. To learn more about
clean technologies and fuels for school buses,
visitwww.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.
"Clean School Bus USA is very
important to the health of our
communities and especially to the
health of school children. We hope that
other school districts will follow as they
see what a difference this program
makes for our kids, our community, and
for the environment."
— Dennis McLerran, Executive Director,
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency,
whose program was one of the first
in the nation to retrofit school buses.
"Today's technology has given our
district the opportunity to move
from the cloud of black diesel
smoke that shrouded our buses
daily to a rich environment that
supports a healthy, safe mode of
transportation. The Cleveland
Municipal School District takes
pride in educating our children
and providing the safest
transportation."
— Howard Strong,
Fleet Maintenance Manager,
Cleveland Municipal School District,
^^^HHHHHI Cleveland, Ohio
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Drive It Home:
Replace Your Older Buses
About a third of all diesel school buses now in service were built before 1990.
These buses are excellent candidates for replacement. Older buses are not
equipped with today's pollution control or safety features. Pre-1990 buses can
pollute as much as six times more than new buses, so their replacement with clean
diesel technology or clean burning alternative fuels (such as natural gas) means
cleaner air for students, teachers,
and the whole community. Newer
buses also have important safety
features such as additional
emergency exits, improved
crossview mirror systems, and new
pedestrian safety devices that have
been mandated by the Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
since 1990.
"New school buses have enhanced
pollution control, safety, comfort,
and maintenance features, as well
as improved fuel efficiency. The
bottom line: replacing a pre-1990
school bus provides society with a
school bus that is cleaner, safer, and
more efficient."
— Charles Gautier,
Executive Director,
National Association of State Directors of
Pupil Transportation Services
In its first year, Clean School Bus USA awarded $5 million in grants to help
local school districts upgrade their bus fleets. For up-to-date information
about future opportunities for financial assistance, visit the Clean School
Bus USA Web site at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.
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Air Pollution Matters to
Children's Health!
Did you know...
^chool buses travel 4 billion miles each year.
There are approximately 450,000 school buses on the road nationwide, and
390,000 of those buses are diesel.
/Asthma is the most common long-term childhood disease, affecting 6.3 million
children.
£mart driving practices include following at least three car lengths behind a
vehicle with visible exhaust or a noticeable odor.
In partnership with the Alabama Department of Environmental
Management, the city of Birmingham, Alabama, became the first
community in the southeast to undertake a school bus retrofit project.
The project was funded with a grant from the U.S. EPA. The city installed
diesel oxidation catalysts on 70 school buses and was able to complete
the installation in just 30 days. The oxidation catalysts are expected to
significantly reduce school bus emissions: particulate matter by 20
percent, hydrocarbons by 50 percent, and carbon monoxide by 50
percent. The partners have shared their experiences and offered
technical assistance to other communities interested in a school bus
retrofit program. Driver surveys are underway to gather information on
bus performance and maintenance requirements.
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