COVER STORY Idling is one of the few ways Willam-
ina School District has been able to cut down on its local carbon footprint. With a 40-mile round trip to purchase clean diesel, Transportation Supervisor Brenda Richardson, like many school districts, has few options when looking to “green” its operations.
Easier Said Than Done Few schools are able to make similar ef-
forts as South Shore Charter and Virginia Beach have done due to budget constraints and cuts to transportation. In South Caroli- na, the only remaining state that owns and maintains its public school bus fleet, the staff of the state’s more than 2,500 public schools has little funding to work with.
“Our ‘carbon footprint’ in South Caro-
lina is not good within the immediate vicinity of our children at our school loading areas,” said George Hampton, director of transportation at Rock Hill School District Tree, located in the north-central part of the state. “School districts across South Carolina operate with the resources made available to us by our legislators, who have shown little or no concern about going ‘green’ to the extent that would really have any signifi- cant impact.” Recently, the state purchased 85 used
school buses from Kentucky to replace buses in their fleet that have seen close to three decades of use. With an average cost of $3,826 for each used bus, the sav- ings outweigh the benefits of shelling out hundred of thousands more to follow the current trend of going green. “Until the General Assembly starts ap-
propriating the funds for annual infusions of new vehicles, we’ll continue to see un- acceptable numbers of breakdowns and delays in transporting students,” said State Director Don Tudor in a statement that followed the recent purchase. But even when districts can somehow
afford an alternatively fueled school bus, there are not always instantly identifiable savings. Hampton’s district is currently em- ploying the use of an IC Bus hybrid school bus. But he is still wary of the overall costs involved with the bus, which includes the possibility of a $40,000 battery swap out after its 7-year expected lifespan. And with school bus stops in his district “heavy with exhaust fumes,” Hampton is waiting for someone to take up the fight to solve the issues facing numerous school districts in his state and nationwide. “I wish someone would awaken and
solve these types of incidents, but not use such for power, monetary and political gain,” concluded Hampton. n
Visit this month’s ”Web Exclusive” at
www.stnonline.com to see view the yellow school bus carbon footprint, courtesy of Dr. Joseph Schwieterman of Depaul University.
See Us At Booth # 246 64 School Transportation News Magazine July 2010
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