Tennessee's Clean School Bus Program

Tennessee's Clean School Bus program aims to make buses cleaner and reduce their impact on the environment. It is a joint effort with the Tennessee Department of Education and the Department of Environment and Conservation in partnership with local governments, school systems and local communities.

Passenger safety is a top priority in transporting our children, and school buses are the safest way to get children to and from school. Tennessee's schools rely upon more than 8,000 buses to transport approximately 580,000 children who ride school buses. About 95 percent of these buses are equipped with diesel-powered engines. Diesel engines are reliable, fuel-efficient and cost effective.

Recent studies indicate, however, that air pollution from diesel engines can pose serious health threats. This is especially true for children, who are more sensitive to health impacts of diesel exhaust. Children are exposed to diesel emissions while loading and unloading. Children may also be exposed to diesel emissions in schoolyards and even in the classroom if diesel exhaust gets into the building.

What can we do to reduce harmful diesel emissions from school buses?

Tennessee's Clean School Bus program aims to protect children's health, improve air quality, reduce energy use and save money by using less fuel. Local governments and school systems can take action to reduce diesel bus emissions.

Strategies to reduce emissions

• Adopt ordinances and policies that eliminate unnecessary school bus idling
• Encourage early replacement of older buses with newer, cleaner buses
• Encourage use of cleaner fuels, such as biodiesel
• Encourage school systems and contractor fleets to reduce emissions from existing diesel buses by installing retrofit emission control technologies
• Seek funding to help school systems retrofit school bus fleets and use cleaner fuels