Bus Drivers Barred From Long Idling of Engines at School Sites

Hoping to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy exhaust, state air quality officials approved a new rule Thursday that prohibits bus drivers from leaving engines running idle for long stretches within 100 feet of a school site.

The measure, approved unanimously by the California Air Resources Board with no formal opposition, requires drivers of school buses and other heavy-duty vehicles to turn them off if standing still near bus stops, schools, playfields and other sites where schoolchildren are present.

Under certain circumstances, drivers can still leave buses running -- if they need to operate the heater or air-conditioner during extreme weather conditions, for instance.

“We think this is a rule that will protect children but, at the same time, will allow for common-sense interpretation by bus operators,” said air board spokesman Jerry Martin. “We don’t expect them to shut the bus off every time they stop for two or three kids to get on the bus. But if they are going to idle for five minutes, they should turn the motor off.”

The rule is part of a broader effort by state officials to reduce diesel exhaust -- a mix of soot and toxic gases that has been linked in health studies to lung cancer, asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments. State officials have embarked on a plan to cut diesel exhaust pollution by 75% in all engines by the end of the decade.

More than 26,000 school buses operate in California, and many are diesel-burning models that are years, even decades, old. California and Washington have the oldest school bus fleets in the nation.

In Southern California and other parts of the state, air quality officials have approved measures to phase out the heavily polluting diesel buses in favor of newer, cleaner-burning models. But that process is expected to take years. In the meantime, officials are also focusing their efforts on limiting exposure to the exhaust, especially among children, who are believed to be disproportionately at risk.

Two environmental groups, the Coalition for Clean Air and the Natural Resources Defense Council, have been rallying public agencies to adopt tougher standards by launching a “Dirty Diesel” awareness campaign. The effort has been credited, not only with spurring government action, but also with prodding diesel engine manufacturers to build add-on devices that limit soot and reduce emissions.

The groups praised the state’s action Thursday as another positive step, but called it long overdue. Hawaii, Maryland and Massachusetts have laws that ban idling by all cars and trucks to reduce air pollution. California already has a law prohibiting idling by diesel buses, but the new rules also order bus companies to train drivers, keep records and track complaints about idling buses.

“It’s great that we now have a state standard for buses and other vehicles in close proximity to schools,” said Todd Campbell, policy director with the Coalition for Clean Air. “This should have been done a long time ago.”