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While it might seem as if the EPA has better things to do than to worry about idling school buses, the truth is school bus exhaust is not only dangerous to the environment, it is also concentrated around one very vulnerable population—children. Diesel exhaust contains significant amounts of particulate matter (PM) that contribute to chronic and acute health problems, especially in those with asthma, bronchitis, heart or lung disease, or other respiratory problems. Children are especially vulnerable to PM because their respiratory systems are still developing and they have a faster breathing rate than adults. Idling school buses can also contribute to indoor air pollution when fumes are vented into schools through air intakes and open windows.
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Under state implementation plans (SIPs) that include requirements for idling diesel engines, the EPA can enforce these requirements, as they did in May. According to the EPA, a Walpole, Massachusetts, company that operates 300 school buses in 15 communities was observed in December 2013 and again in January 2014 to have school buses “idling for extensive periods of time in school bus lots” in four different communities. This practice, the EPA said, was in violation of federally enforceable limits in the Massachusetts SIP, which, with very few exceptions, limits idling to 5 minutes or less.
In the settlement agreement reached between the company and the EPA, the company will pay a penalty of $33,000 and implement idling reduction measures, including training drivers, posting anti-idling signs, performing periodic walk-throughs of school bus lots to ensure measures are being observed and notifying all school districts of the company’s policy against excessive idling. The company also committed to physically disconnect the override capability of each buss’ automatic shutoff mechanism, ensuring that the shutoff operates without interruption.
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For those companies that are not subject to SIP requirements, the EPA has several other good reasons to limit school bus idling:
- An idling school bus uses about a half gallon of diesel fuel per hour (so, if a fleet of 100 school buses reduced idling by just one hour a day fleetwide, fuel use would drop by 90,000 gallons each year and cut emissions by more than 2.1 million pounds annually);
- It is not necessary to warm up engines through excessive idling in cold weather and manufacturers recommend a warm-up time of less than 5 minutes;
- Running engines at low speeds causes twice the wear on internal parts over driving at regular speeds;
- Required lights and stop signs can be operated for up to an hour without the engine running without battery problems;
- Cabin comfort can be maintained for a while without excessive idling, and auxiliary heaters and bus routes should be timed so drivers and passengers do not need to spend extra time on buses that are not en route; and
- A recent study by the EPA showed that despite common beliefs, school bus exhaust emissions from a cold start-up contain “less carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants than if the school bus idled continuously over a 10-minute period.” The study also indicated that “continuous idling for more than 3 minutes emitted more fine particle (soot) emissions than at restart.”
More information about EPA’s Clean School Bus program is available at http://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/csb-overview.htm.