The San Francisco Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has announced it has released funding to aid the financing of a major retrofit emission control systems for diesel buses in the area.

Nearly 1,700 systems will be installed on diesel buses operated by 12 Bay Area transit agencies.

The buses will be retrofitted with the Longview emission control system supplied Cleaire Advanced Emissions Control of San Leandro.

Funding will be spread over the 2003-04 and 2004-05 fiscal years, and comes from the $13.8 million federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program and from local matching funds allocated by MTC.

The Longview device is a combination of an active lean nitrous oxide catalyst with a catalyzed, silicon carbide diesel particulate filter.

The system in question recently secured approval from the California Air Resources Board to provide 85 per cent reduction of particulate matter emission and a 25 per cent reduction of nitrous oxide.