Region 1: EPA New England

School Buses

While school buses are the safest way to transport children to and from school, diesel exhaust from idling school buses can accumulate on and around the bus and pose a health risk, particularly to children. More than 1.7 million children in New England ride a bus to and from school every day.

The New England Asthma Regional Council has developed a toolkit to help school communities, environmental officials, and others make informed decisions about ways to reduce harmful diesel emissions from school buses. In addition, several New England States are having tremendous success working closely with school transportation associations and school districts to reduce school bus idling. For more information on state actions, please visit the following state web sites:

• Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection – Anti-idling efforts
• Maine Department of Environmental Protection – Clean School Bus Program
• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection –School Bus Idling Reduction Initiative
• New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services – School Bus Anti-Idling Initiative
• Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management – Office of Air Resources/Breathe Better Rhode Island
• Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation – School Bus and Diesel Exhaust

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