Kendall Taggart, California Watch Tens of thousands of
California schoolchildren ride aging school buses that emit
harmful pollutants, an analysis of state data shows. Unlike many
states, California does not require bus owners to take buses off
the road after a set number of years. As a result, California
has some of the oldest buses in the nation. The emissions from
older school buses are harmful to both children and air quality
for the broader community. Children riding in conventional
diesel school buses are exposed to more air pollution than those
riding in cleaner natural gas or low emission diesel buses,
according to a 2003 study conducted by the California Air
Resources Board. Buses manufactured before 1990 can pollute as
much as six times more than new buses, according to the
Environmental Protection Agency. There are about 3,000 buses in
the state built in the 1980s and earlier, according to a
California Watch analysisof data maintained by the California
Highway Patrol. Some buses have been equipped