BONNYVILLE- After receiving a letter from concerned bus drivers, Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) is reviewing their bus cancellation policy.
The board of trustees have tasked the transportation committee with reassessing what they currently have in place. NLPS buses are cancelled when the temperature drops to -40 C, or when the wind chill is -45 C or below.
In the letter, which was written by contractors in Lac La Biche, Plamondon, and the Caslan areas, they requested the policy be amended to cancel bus service if it gets to -35 C or a wind chill of -40 C.
One reason the contractors provided is issues with newer vehicles, and sensors that shut the engine down when it gets too cold.
“Unfortunately, when the temperature drops to -35 C and colder, the problems start at a very concerning rate and it becomes a very serious safety hazard. Therefore, new buses are a lot less reliable than the older units that used to operate in the past,” the letter stated.
This wasn’t the first time director of transportation Matt Richter has heard about problems with more recent bus models.
“Many contractors are quite impressed with some of the older fleets, because they don’t have the problems the newer fleets do, which is unfortunate, because you’re paying $120,000 for something that’s going to breakdown a lot faster than something that’s 10 years older,” he noted.
Trustee Lorne Kaban was particularly uneasy when it came to vehicles malfunctioning and leaving students waiting on the side of a road for help.
“I don’t want bus loads of kids stranded out there on highways and back roads that are waiting to get picked up or for an alternate form of transportation to show up,” he exclaimed.
The drivers were worried about the wait time if there’s a mechanical problem.
“When a breakdown occurs, the school bus that would come out to rescue the passenger load could be as long as an hour or more away, and a lot can happen in that time,” the letter stated. “In some areas, the radio and the service areas for cell phones are completely unattainable, which adds to the safety concern.”
Due to the feedback the board has heard over the years, chair Arlene Hrynyk believes it’s a good idea to look into it further.
“We want to ensure that we’ve got the current information, and that the policy addresses the safety of our kids, number one, the realities of the machinery, and our rural Alberta context,” Hrynyk detailed.
After looking into what other school divisions had in place, associate superintendent Bill Driedger explained cancelling buses when the temperature drops below -40 C seemed like the standard, but wind chill didn’t follow the same example.
“If the wind chill is -40 C, it didn’t matter what the temperature was, and a couple of school divisions actually had a wind chill of -48 C. So if it doesn’t hit -48 C in the wind chill, the buses are still running,” he explained.
The transportation committee will report back to the board with their suggestions on the policy before the end of the school year.
