MBTA Bus Remote Sensing Program

Under a 2001 court mandate, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) modernized its fleet of about 1,000 buses (many of those 2-stroke diesels), with new, cleaner vehicles that now average 4 years in age versus the previous 14 years. Additionally, that environmental justice case forced the MBTA to implement a depot-based bus inspection program to ensure that its now modern bus fleet, which largely served the less affluent areas of Boston, remained clean and in good repair.

In 2004, ESP was selected to conduct a study that verified the MBTA’s bus clean-up and designed the most cost-effective inspection program for the MBTA. The MBTA’s RSD-based bus inspection program now operates at all eight urban bus depots and quickly reports high-emitting buses to depot mechanics.
During the first trimester of testing for the MBTA (August 13, 2007 to December 6, 2007), there were a total of 3,906 measurements of 908 active buses, and despite the relatively new and modern fleet, 10 high emitters were identified for repair.
Today, the MBTA boasts one of the cleanest and most modern fleets in the country and periodically posts a bus emissions report card on its website.