Wisconsin School Bus Retrofit Program
Targets Federal Non-Attainment Areas

MADISON , Wis. - A clean school bus program doled out $1 million to retrofit over 600 school buses in 10 counties currently in non-attainment of federal air quality standards.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is administering the program through its Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air (WPCA) program for the counties of Door, Kenosha , Kewaunee, Manitowoc , Milwaukee , Ozaukee, Racine , Sheboygan , Washington , and Waukesha . It chose 20 school districts and bus companies to receive funds for diesel oxidation catalysts, compiled from a federal air quality grant plus a required 20 percent in matching private donations. Jessica Lawent, a spokesperson for DNR, said the agency has so far raised over $22,000, mainly from businesses, as well as its own employees, and those of WPCA members and the U.S. EPA.

She added that DNR is anticipating more companies to begin retrofits soon. The program also includes reduced idling programs at the district level.

"(There is) nothing formal on idling yet really," she said. "We are working on an anti-idling component to the bus project, though most of the participants already have reduced idling policies."

One of the 11 bus companies or school districts to receive funds is Riteway Bus Service in Germantown . It was the only company to have completed retrofits at press times, as 18 Inland Detroit Diesel engines with Allison transmissions were outfitted with the DOCs at the company's Oak Creek terminal in March during Easter break. Dale Lancelle, project manager at Riteway, said that the company's goal is to retrofit 181 school buses that operate in federal non-attainment areas with DOCs.

"Most of the retrofits are going to happen after the school year," he said. "To take 181 buses off line, literally we'd be out of business."

It takes about 30 minutes to retrofit one school bus.

After submitting a list of qualified vehicles to DNR, Lancelle said the retrofit process flows with dollars going directly to the company performing the retrofits. The bus company or school district never sees any of the money.

Riteway, a family-owned and operated company that opened in 1957, transports more than 25,000 children to and from school each day from eight locations in Wisconsin , with a fleet of more than 500 vehicles. In the counties of Oak Creek, Milwaukee, Cedarburg, Slinger and Germantown, the company serves the school districts of: Germantown, Cedarburg; Grafton; Northern Ozaukee; Nicolet; Milwaukee; Friess Lake; Mapledale-Indian Hill; Erin; Oak Creek-Franklin; Richfield; Slinger; Wauwatosa; Glendale-River Hills; and Fox Point-Bayside.