School Bus Emissions In Worcester, Holyoke Targeted In Federal Suit

WORCESTER, MA — An Illinois-based school bus company is polluting neighborhoods in Worcester and Holyoke by allowing buses to idle for long periods, a new federal lawsuit alleges.

The Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) in late November sued Durham School Services — a national school bus company that's part of the National Express company — for violating a state law that prohibits vehicles from idling for more than five minutes.

CLF investigators witnessed buses idling beyond the 5-minute regulations on more than 90 occasions recently, according to the group.

The suit focuses on two Durham bus lots located in Worcester and Holyoke, and a Holyoke elementary school. The lots contribute to higher-than-normal diesel emissions, which in turn contribute to higher levels of disease, asthma in particular, the lawsuit says. Some 15 percent of children in Worcester have asthma and more nearly 20 percent in Holyoke, and the national average is about 7.2 percent.

"As the vehicles idle, these pollutants accumulate in the surrounding air," CLF said in a news release. "When inhaled, this pollution can cause lung damage, aggravate conditions like asthma and bronchitis, and has been linked to decreased cognitive ability, increased incidence of heart disease, multiple kinds of cancer, premature death, and greater risk of mortality from COVID-19. Children are particularly susceptible to these harms.

National Express spokesman Edward Flavin declined to comment because the lawsuit is still pending. As of Thursday, the lawsuit had not been scheduled for a hearing.

In August 2021, the Worcester School Committee voted not to renew a contract Durham for school buses. The district used $16.5 million in federal stimulus funds to buy its own fleet of buses, which went into operation at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. The district's bus lot is located along Northeast Cutoff.