KTRV Fox 12 Meridian to test clean diesel technology in school busses
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MERIDIAN --
If you've ever been stuck behind a school bus in traffic, you know the smell. Diesel exhaust can make you light-headed if you breathe in too much of it, but experts say it's causing even bigger head-ache for students.
"Those are the types of gasses and pollutants that have contributed to the 40% increase in juvenile asthma that we've seen over the last 20 years," said Gary Parsons, fleet division manager for Instrument Sales & Service, Inc.
The Portland-based car parts company has developed new emission-reducing technology for school buses. Through a federal grant, the parts will be tested out in three Idaho school districts later in the fall. One of those districts is Meridian, which will install the technology in 40 of its 260 bus fleet.
"We're the biggest district in the state. We have the most busses and it's also because we hear from parents about concerns about diesel emissions--like when busses pull up to schools, we shut them off instead of sitting there and idling," said Meridian School District spokesperson Eric Exline.
The technology does two things: It nearly eliminates the exhaust that comes up from underneath the bus and gets trapped inside where the kids sit. And it improves the muffler system so the amount of pollution coming out of the tail pipe is also decreased.
"In general, you're looking at a 40-45% reduction in air pollution that comes from the school bus itself. That affects anyone that is in the corridor of that bus when it passes by," Parsons said.
The districts worked closely with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to secure the $240,000 grant. If the pilot project proves beneficial, the DEQ plans to eventually retrofit each of the state's 2,700 school buses with the new technology.
