MONTPELIER, Vt. — On May 25, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas signed a bill that prohibits buses from idling while on school premises.
Drafted by the state's Board of Education, the bill also stipulates that a driver cannot start his or her bus' engine until he or she is ready to leave school grounds.
However, it makes slight exceptions to these rules under certain circumstances. An engine may idle if a driver is defrosting, heating or cooling a bus; it can idle for a reasonable amount of time during routine maintenance checks as well.
The bill — which calls on the Department of Education to generate a policy that relates to idling from other types of vehicles by Jan. 1, 2008 — became effective last Friday, and its rules will be applied during the 2007-08 school year.