Massachusetts school buses are about to run much cleaner.

With funding from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and the federal government,  the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is sponsoring the nation's first statewide program to reduce air pollution from school buses.

The MassCleanDiesel program will equip all eligible diesel-powered school buses with diesel retrofits at no expense to bus owners. The result: reduced air pollution from buses that will mean cleaner rides to school for kids and healthier air for everyone.

Doing the Right Thing

Taking the bus to school is by far the  safest choice for hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts children every year. However, school buses, like all diesel-powered vehicles, pollute the air with harmful gases and particles. The good news is that buses'  environmental impacts can be lessened. Installing diesel retrofits on buses can decrease the amount of harmful pollution generated, helping to reduce asthma attacks, respiratory problems, and other diseases associated with diesel exhaust for everyone, especially children.

What Are "Diesel Retrofits"?

A diesel retrofit is essentially an enhanced exhaust filtering system that reduces pollution from tailpipes of school buses and other diesel-powered vehicles. This equipment is safe and proven, and more than 500,000 vehicles worldwide have been retrofitted with this technology already. The retrofits take only a few hours to install, but they reduce pollution for years.

MassCleanDiesel Delivers

By 2010, the MassCleanDiesel program will pay up to $16.5 million to install diesel retrofits on several thousand Massachusetts school buses. These retrofits will provide big benefits for your community:

• Healthier rides. Diesel retrofits help prevent toxic engine fumes from entering buses and provide children and school bus drivers with healthier air to breathe while riding to and from school. This is especially important for children, whose developing lungs are particularly susceptible to diesel exhaust's damaging health effects.
• Cleaner outdoor air. School buses that receive diesel retrofits produce less tailpipe exhaust, and will release less smoke, odorous fumes, and pollutants that form smog. Every retrofitted school bus will help make the air a little bit cleaner.
• Uncompromised vehicle performance. Diesel retrofits have a proven track record of reducing pollution in vehicle exhaust. Since diesel retrofits became available, they have worked well for many types of vehicles, including school buses, without compromising vehicle performance or raising difficult engine maintenance issues.
• Cost-effective results. The MassCleanDiesel program is using federal and state funds to pay for the retrofits, at no charge to bus owners. To participate in the program, school bus owners will need to enroll, obtain estimates from retrofit vendors, and arrange for retrofit installations. MassDEP will reimburse the retrofit vendor directly, provided that installations meet all terms of the program.

Enroll Now or Pay Later!

For More Information

Join our mailing list to receive important announcements. E-mail your contact information to MassClean.Diesel@state.ma.us or call the MassCleanDiesel help line at 617-292-5809.

Printer-friendly brochure

PDF 723 KB