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Pennsylvania
School Bus Anti-Idling Campaign
Background
Each year, over 21,000 school
buses transport 1.5 million children to schools in Pennsylvania.
As is the case with other heavy duty diesel vehicles, drivers
often leave school buses running even when they are not
making their rounds. Occasionally, buses are left to idle
to keep the engine and bus interior warm during cold weather.
More often the idling is out of habit or convenience and
is not needed. An engine requires only three to five minutes
of operation before it is sufficiently warmed up.
There are two major reasons for
reducing excessive school bus idling:
Protecting Health
During the school year children are
exposed to harmful pollution from school buses. Students
who rely on school buses for transportation to and from
school average about one hour per day in these vehicles.
Riding students are not the only ones impacted by pollution
from school buses. Idling buses pollute air in and around
the vehicles. Exhaust from buses can also enter school buildings
through air intakes, doors and open windows. Diesel exhaust
contains fine particulates,
smog-forming compounds, air toxics and other harmful air
emissions. Prolonged exposure to fine particulates and air
toxics can cause lung damage, respiratory problems, premature
death and possibly even cancer. Children are particularly
susceptible to the effects of air pollution, because they
breathe up to 50 percent more air per body weight than do
adults. Additionally, children's defense mechanisms are
not as mature as adults' are, and exposure has a more detrimental
effect. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranks diesel
exhaust as among the air pollutants it believes pose the
greatest public health risks.
Curbing Waste
Idling school buses waste fuel and money. Typical school
bus engines burn about half a gallon of fuel per hour of
idling. If all of Pennsylvania's
school buses were to reduce idling by 15 minutes a day,
the total cost savings would be over $700,000, assuming
a $1.50 per gallon diesel price. Additionally, reducing
fuel consumption, helps improve the nation's energy security,
as greater than half of the oil used in America comes from
foreign sources.
The Campaign
Clean Air Council's PA School Bus Anti-Idling Campaign will
reach out to all school districts in Pennsylvania to encourage
them to establish policies to reduce unnecessary idling
on their school buses. Anti-idling practices can be accomplished
by School Board resolution and/or as part of the bus driver's
manual at the operational level. All 501 school districts
in Pennsylvania will receive information on the Campaign.
Those who express interest will be contacted by the Council
for further assistance. If desired the Council can give
school district officials presentations on the Anti-Idling
Campaign in person.
Below are a number
of resources available for learning more about anti-idling,
including factsheets from Clean Air Council and other organizations,
and a 5-minute training video from EPA.
Funding for the Campaign was provided
by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Contact
If you have questions or comments
about the Campaign, please contact the Project Coordinator,
Tim Kelly (215-567-4004
x 110).
Stakeholders
The Council has assembled
representatives from a number of different groups across
Pennsylvania that have an interest in reducing school bus
idling. These stakeholders will be holding regular meetings
to provide guidance to the Council on future activities
for the Campaign. Stakeholders include the following organizations:
Model Anti-Idling
Policies
Clean Air Council has developed
a sample anti-idling language for school districts to adopt,
either as a Resolution or as part of a bus operations manual:
Anti-Idling
Laws
While there is no state law banning unnecessary idling of
diesel-powered vehicles, both Philadelphia and Allegheny
counties have anti-idling rules in place. Thus, for school
districts in those counties, passing anti-idling policies
is not only beneficial to students, it helps ensure legal
compliance.
- Philadelphia
- Philadelphia's regulation limits idling for all heavy-duty
motor vehicles.
- Allegheny
County - Allegheny County has an anti-idling regulation
that is specifically geared towards school buses.
Success Stories
The following school districts
have anti-idling policies in place:
- Lower
Merion School District
(Ardmore, Montgomery County)
- North
Penn School District (Lansdale, Montgomery County)
- Spring-Ford
Area School District (Collegeville, Montgomery County)
- Unionville
- Chadds Ford School District (Kennett Square, Chester
County)
- Also two third-party school bus operators,
who provide transportation services to some school districts,
have anti-idling policies: Eshelman Transportation and
Romano
School Bus Service.
- Additional school districts: New Hope-Solebury,
Kennett Consolidated, West Chester, Crawford Central,
Derry Township, Garnet Valley, Haverford Township, Radnor,
Corry Area, Erie City, Fort LeBoeuf, General McLane, Millcreek
Township, Greencastle-Antrim, Abington Heights, Scranton,
Neshannock Township, Catasauqua Area, Parkland, Greenville,
Abington, Colonial, Upper Moreland, Peters Township, Pine-Richland,
Quaker Valley, and Springfield Township.
Resources
Clean Air Council Powerpoint
Presentations
Clean Air Council Factsheets
Factsheets From Other Organizations
EPA School-Bus Anti-Idling Video
- "Reducing School Bus Idling: The
Key to a Healthier Ride" is a 5-minute training video
for school bus drivers, fleet operators, and school officials.
It can be ordered for free from EPA here.
Links
The following websites are
from other organizations and governmental agencies that
administer school bus anti-idling programs:
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