Johnston Bus Company Addresses Idling Issue

The federal Environmental Management Agency recently levied a $90,000 fine Durham School Services, which provides busing to the , over letting school buses idle too long before starting routes.

A local representative for Durham said the bus company is complying with the EPA's ruling, which was released on Apr. 10.

According to a press release on the EPA's website, Durham buses in Johnston, Storrs, CT, and Worcester, MA, were allowed to sit running "for close to two hours before departing the bus lot" in cases reported by EPA inspectors.

Rhode Island regulations limit idle times for school buses to five minutes, the EPA noted in its announcement of the fine.

John Brown, general manager for Durham School Services in Johnston, wrote in an email message that the company is taking steps to comply with the EPA's order to pay the fine and take other steps to address the idling issue.

"Being a good corporate citizen and a socially responsible organization is important to us, so we are taking immediate steps to implement more sustainable initiatives," Brown wrote.

Among the plans mentioned by Brown were the replacement of older school buses, more monitoring of idling buses and signage added to the company's bus lot, and a national training program — all of which were part of the EPA's order.

The federal agency's release also stated that at idle, school buses burn about a half-gallon of fuel per hour.

"By reducing the idling time of each bus in its fleet by one hour per day, Durham would reduce its fuel use by 1.25 million gallons per year and avoid emitting 28 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year," according to the EPA statement.