Apr 18, 2008 10:08 am US/Eastern
MBTA's Clean Buses Make Difference In Air Quality
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The MBTA has made some changes to help make the air cleaner by running hundreds of buses that spew fewer pollutants.
Dudley Station in Roxbury is the busiest bus station in New England with some 30,000 passengers each day.
Some of them are noticing a difference.
"There's less pollution, definitely," one commuter said. "It's not making you sick."
Since 2002, the MBTA has been running hundreds of buses fueled by compressed natural gas. The buses emit fewer pollutants.
While no can say for certain that the air is clearer because of the buses, the trend is undeniable. And it started when the MBTA began running the new buses.
A few hundred yards from the bus station, the State Department of Environmental Protection monitors air quality.
Since 2001, air pollutants have been reduced by 30 percent.
"Yes, we have seen a good trend in the annual average of particle pollution here, and even in the daily numbers we see more down. They fluctuate more but it's been a trend downward," said Glenn Keith with the State Department of Environmental Protection.
While the MBTA will be rolling out a green bus powered by compressed natural gas for next weeks Earth Day, the head of the T admits that hybrid technology involving ultra low sulfur diesel may be the future.
"Compressed natural gas is very difficult to maintain. It's very costly. Some of the new hybrid technologies are a little easier, and equally if not more clean, especially if you are running on battery," said MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas.
In Charlestown, T buses, or more specifically their exhaust pipes, must now pass by a computer emissions tester.
Dirty buses with excessive emissions are flagged and then tuned before hitting the road again.
It's not only the State Department of Environmental Protection that's noticing the difference.
The federal government and the EPA specifically says the air quality has improved in areas near Dudley Station.
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