PA Environment Digest

Yellow school buses are an iconic image in the United States, but many people do not realize one important benefit they offer – they are environmentally friendly and getting more so with each passing year, according to the PA School Bus Association.

And given the increasing attention the recently concluded Earth Day receives each year, it’s clear environmental issues are becoming a top-of-mind issue for many.

In Pennsylvania 31,511 registered school buses carry more than 1.5 million children, making the school bus industry the largest form of mass transit in the Commonwealth. Those buses travel about 401 million miles annually.

Consider this: Every school bus on the road in Pennsylvania eliminates the need for approximately 33 cars on the road to transport children to school. For every bus you keep on the road, that’s 33 fewer cars clogging the morning commute and 33 fewer cars polluting the atmosphere. Each bus carries an average of 49 students.

In 2010, school buses in Pennsylvania saved more than 226 million gallons of gasoline, the equivalent of eliminating 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That represents a cost savings of more $878 million for Pennsylvania families each year.

Thanks to cleaner low sulfur fuels, more efficient engines and emissions control technologies, today’s diesels engine school buses are 96 percent cleaner than those manufactured in 1994.

“Reducing congestion by taking cars off the road, saving families fuel costs, and reducing carbon emissions are only a few of the overlooked benefits of school buses,” said Selina M. Pittenger, executive director of the school bus association. “School bus transportation makes our state and communities cleaner and healthier. As our country searches for ways to make our environment and our children healthier, riding yellow is an easy way to go green, helping us to create a better future for everyone.”

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