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First Student, Inc., formerly Laidlaw, fined for diesel emissions
violations at locations throughout California.
 

Air Resources Board
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release 09-78
September 3, 2009
							 CONTACT:	Mary Fricke
(916) 322-2990
www.arb.ca.gov
								
ARB cites nation’s largest school bus transportation firm
$300,000 for diesel emissions violations

SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board fined First
Student, Inc., formerly Laidlaw, $300,000 recently for diesel
emissions violations of its school bus fleet that occurred in
2005 and 2006 at locations throughout California.

A routine ARB inspection found that the Cincinnati-based company
that provides transportation services to schools throughout
California and the nation had not properly maintained diesel
emissions records of its school bus fleets as required by the
Periodic Smoke Inspection Program. Not performing the required
smoke emissions inspections can lead to increased cancer-causing
diesel emissions. 

“Routine school bus emissions inspections minimize exposure to
diesel soot,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “Children are
particularly vulnerable to diesel exhaust, which is known to
worsen and even cause childhood asthma.” 

As part of the settlement, First Student, Inc. must: 
•	Guarantee employees who are responsible for inspecting the
vehicles attend a mandatory California community college training
class on diesel emissions compliance and provide certificates of
completion within one year; 
•	Instruct employees and drivers on ARB’s truck and bus idling
regulations;
•	Ensure that the trucks and buses in their fleet have the most
recent low-NOx software installed;
•	Provide documentation to ARB that the inspections are being
carried out for the next three years; and,
•	Ensure that all diesel trucks and buses in their fleet are up
to federal emissions standards for the vehicle model year and are
properly labeled with the manufacturer’s factory engine
certification label.

The company will pay $300,000 in penalties: $225,000 will go to
the California Air Pollution Control Fund for projects and
research to improve California’s air quality; $37,500 will go to
Peralta Community College District to fund emission education
classes conducted by participating California community colleges;
and, the remaining $37,500 will go to the California Pollution
Control Financing Authority which guarantees loans to off-road
vehicle fleets that need to buy exhaust retrofits to comply with
state regulations.

More than a decade ago, the ARB listed diesel particulate matter
as a toxic air contaminant in order to protect public health. 
Exposure to diesel emissions can increase the risk of asthma,
bronchitis and other respiratory diseases.  California has
aggressively worked to cut diesel emissions by cleaning up diesel
fuel, requiring cleaner engines for trucks, buses and off-road
equipment, and limiting unnecessary idling.


The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency.  ARB’s mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy.  The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.

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