American School Bus Council Encourages School Age Children to Ride the School Bus...

American School Bus Council Encourages School Age Children to Ride the School
Bus to Celebrate Earth Day 2008

WASHINGTON, April 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Every day millions of
students rely on school bus transportation to get to school. To celebrate
Earth Day, the American School Bus Council (ASBC) is calling on millions more
students to ride the bus to school, thereby eliminating more cars on the road
and reducing carbon emissions.
The ASBC estimates that more than 475,000 school buses carry 25 million
children to school each day -- amounting to more than half the total
population of American schoolchildren. By encouraging more students to ride
the bus to school, the ASBC hopes to continue to reduce the number of cars on
the road, as well as reduce traffic congestion around school properties.
"Yellow is the green way to get to school," said Michael Martin, executive
director of the National Association of Pupil Transportation and member of the
ASBC. "As children and parents look for ways to demonstrate their commitment
to environmental conservation, the school bus industry encourages them to take
a simple action: Get on the Bus."
Environmental Benefits
The school bus industry is also leading the way in developing more fuel
efficient school bus models. In fact, model year 2007 school buses are 60
times cleaner than those built before 1990, and, as older buses are replaced
with newer, cleaner burning ones, they will further reduce our pollution and
fuel usage.
School bus manufacturers also are making large investments in new diesel,
natural-gas, electric hybrid and other engines to further reduce pollution.
All newly constructed school buses must meet new smog restriction regulations
by reducing soot and smog-causing emissions by 90 and 95 percent,
respectively.
In addition, since 2003 school bus operators have retrofitted more than
12,000 school buses with emissions-reduction technology through the help of
the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus grants.
"School bus transportation is not only the safest form of transportation
for school age children, but it also reduces traffic congestion around
schools, helps parents save money on gasoline and helps reduce the number of
cars on the road," added Derek Graham, president of the National Association
of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services and member of the ASBC.
Safety Benefits
The National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Department of Transportation
and other authorities agree that school buses are the safest form of
transportation for getting children to and from school. Every day, more than
25 millions students take school bus transportation, rarely with any serious
accident.
Safety features including the color and size of school buses, height,
reinforced sides, high-back padded seats, flashing red lights, cross view
mirrors, and crossing and stop sign arms ensure children are protected and
secure on and off the bus.
About the American School Bus Council
The American School Bus Council is a coalition of the school
transportation industry -- including public and private transportation
providers, school bus manufacturers and state officials responsible for pupil
transportation. Council members are committed to providing safe, effective,
efficient and healthy transportation for the more than 25 million
schoolchildren who ride more than 475,000 school buses each day.
The Council's members include NAPT (National Association for Pupil
Transportation), NASDPTS (National Association of State Directors of Pupil
Transportation Services), NSTA (National School Transportation Association),
Blue Bird Corp. of Fort Valley, Ga., IC Corporation of Warrenville, Ill., and
Thomas Built Buses of High Point, N.C.
The American School Bus Council was formed in 2006 to educate parents,
school officials and lawmakers about the essential role the yellow school bus
plays in the safety, health, security and readiness of America's
schoolchildren. Council members advocate for increased school transportation
funding and advances industry standards on safety, security, environment,
energy and access to education that are above and beyond state and federal
law.
For more information, visit our Web site at
http://www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org.

SOURCE American School Bus Council

Christine DiBartolo, +1-312-596-3412, for the American School Bus Council