New low-emissions bus will also be the first in the district with seatbelts
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers OLD YELLOW- Simi Valley Unified School District's Bus No. 2, seen here, will be replaced in the near future with a bus that's friendlier to the environment. The district eventually plans to replace all of its diesel engine buses, most of which were purchased in 1986.

Simi Valley Unified School District plans on cleaning up its act this year by replacing one of its pre-1987 diesel engine school buses with a new lowemissions bus.

At last week's meeting the school board unanimously approved accepting grant funds to help purchase the new vehicle.

"I think it's great that we have these types of opportunities to get these new buses up and running. It's the responsibility of every citizen, company and organization to do their part in helping the planet," said Janice DiFatta, school board president.

According to district officials, the new bus, which will emit significantly less sulfur than the district's older vehicles, will cost around $128,000, with $106,000 paid in grant funds from the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.

In order for a bus to be considered a low-emissions vehicle it must meet the Jan. 1, 2007, federal standards for exhaust emissions, said John Burns, director of student safety and transit for the district.

"The district owns and operates four buses that we received from different emission grants over the past 10 years. The first two were diesel back in 1996, and the last two are compressed natural gas engines," Burns said.

The new vehicle will also be the first bus in the district's fleet to be equipped with seat belts, according to district officials.

Currently, the district does not have the funds to make the rest of their fleet environmentally friendly.

"Our district, as most school districts, cannot afford to retrofit our fleets to meet today's standards for exhaust emissions," said Burns, but it will continue to seek funds, he added, to bring their fleet up to current standards.