Failure of Electric Bus System Means Pollution Will Continue in NYC
The Adams administration gives a major bus company a reprieve from idling laws — because battery-powered systems apparently don't exist yet.
By
David Meyer
12:02 AM EST on December 23, 2025
Academy Bus Lines requested the exemption — the largest in DEP’s history — after receiving more than $500,000 in idling violations. But there is some good news.
David was Streetsblog's do-it-all New York City beat reporter from 2015 to 2019. He returned as deputy editor in 2023 after a three-year stint at the New York Post.
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