The State of Texas is home to the second largest fleet of yellow school buses in the country. Over 35,000 school buses transport more than 1 million Texas children to and from school every day, as well as for field trips and athletic events. In the Houston region alone almost 8,000 school buses are in use. The vast majority of these buses run on diesel fuel and are much more polluting than the buses to be sold beginning in 2007. Using the Clean School Bus program to replace the older buses or retrofit them with emissions reduction technology would afford significant reductions of harmful pollutants.

While school buses continue to be the safest way to transport school children, diesel pollution levels in and around school buses can be 5 times higher than background levels. Consequently, school buses represent a "hot spot" of pollution exposure for school children. This surprising result is due to emissions from the tailpipe and engine crankcase contaminating the cabin where school children ride.

The pollution "hot-spot" effect inside a school bus is compounded because children are especially vulnerable to air pollution since their rate of breathing is higher than for adults and their lungs are still developing. Emissions from diesel engines contribute to a host of health effects, including dizziness, nausea, increased incidence and severity of asthma attacks, and chronic bronchitis.

Donating funds to help clean up our dirty school buses will make our children healthier and our air cleaner. All donations go toward technology upgrades or bus replacements for school districts in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria region. Please view our sponsorship (make as a link) opportunities to learn more about donating to Clean School Bus Houston.