Pupil Transportation Best Practice

School Bus Emissions/Idling

School bus emissions need to be kept to a minimum for the health and safety of students and adults. In addition, limiting emissions conserves fuel and is friendly to the environment. The Michigan Department of Education, upon the recommendation of the Pupil Transportation Advisory Committee, recommends the following Best Practice be implemented by all Michigan school districts.

Recognizing that school bus exhaust emissions may be potentially harmful to the health and safety of adults and school children, school buses are to limit engine idling time to the minimum possible. Further, when buses are at a school site and waiting to load or unload students, the engine is to be immediately turned off and restarted only when ready to leave the site. Exceptions may be necessary for some special education buses operating lifts and other specialized equipment and in situations where insufficient warmth for students cannot be achieved without the vehicle engine operating.