|
George Sweeney, Opposition Government Services Critic and MHA for the
District of Carbonear - Harbour Grace, says government’s announcement this
week regarding the age of school buses does not go nearly far enough in
addressing serious problems that exist regarding school bus safety in the
province. "The Auditor General issued a scathing report against
government’s busing regulations six months ago, yet the Minister has acted
on just one portion of the recommendation of the report," said Sweeney. "I
find this completely unacceptable and the parents of children who ride
school buses throughout this province should be outraged.
"Government must move forward immediately with a comprehensive strategy
to improve school bus safety in time for the next school year starting in
September. It is imperative that the Department of Government Services act
to improve the inspection process to ensure that school buses that carry our
children are safe. Mandatory training courses and background check protocols
must be implemented for school bus drivers and staff in accordance with
standards already in place in other provinces.
"The announcement on Monday regarding the age of school buses is barely a
first step in addressing these safety concerns. Government must take more
aggressive action to reduce the age of school buses and enhance the
inspection and training process. It is not acceptable that these
recommendations have been sitting idle since January and the Minister has
given no promise to act in the future.
"I have raised this issue on a number of occasions since the beginning of
this year, so government cannot claim that this is a new issue. On February
23rd, I called on government to set up a task force to develop a
comprehensive strategy to deal with the problems that exist in the industry.
This is a question of safety of schoolchildren all across the province and
government should not be dragging it’s feet. The Minister of Education and
the Minister of Government Services need to take action immediately before a
serious incident occurs."
Backgrounder
School Bus Safety Issues
Released February 23, 2005 by the Office of the Official
Opposition
Responsibility for school bus safety is spread over two government
departments. The Department of Education is responsible for setting general
policy directions for the Boards and the Department of Government Services
is responsible for administering all legislation respecting vehicles and
driver licencing. The Department of Government Services is responsible for
setting the standards and performing inspections and other enforcement
activities related to school bus safety.
Though school boards provide school bus transportation in this province
by either operating school buses themselves or by contracting out the
service, it is the government that is ultimately responsible for budget
allocations, policy and overall monitoring of the system. For this reason,
it is government that has to take the lead in ensuring the safety of the
approximately 55,000 students being transported by school buses in this
province.
There are over 1,000 school buses currently operating in this province.
Two thirds of these (694) are owned by private contractors and the other one
third (350) are owned by school boards. Buses are required to be inspected
twice yearly at official inspection stations and are usually inspected once
a year by MVD inspectors.
The response by government to the points made in the Auditor General’s
Report do not adequately address issues related to school bus safety. No
clear time lines have been established and the approach does not indicate
the degree of urgency required on this matter. There is no indication that
funding will be allocated by government to make the needed improvements.
Areas of Concerns
The fact that 70% of the buses are 10 years old or older. This large
number of older buses is likely to present serious safety challenges. Of
the 694 privately owned buses, 593 are more than 10 years old.
While there are 205 official inspection stations licensed in the
Province to inspect school buses, 43 are operated by school bus
contractors. The system allows contractors and school boards to perform
inspections on their own buses.
The Auditor General expressed concern about the high incidence of
defects identified during school bus inspections conducted by the Motor
Registration Division. Defects related to brakes, steering, mechanical
and other safety problems. As a result of the inspections in 2002-2003,
1130 defects were identified and 172 school buses (16% ) were taken out
of service.
Also, the Auditor General noted that these were not surprise
inspections, instead operators had been given advanced notice of
upcoming inspections. Despite the twice a year inspections at the
official inspection stations, a significant number of serious defects
were being identified.
The Auditor General said: "Given the extent of school buses being
taken out of service, it is likely that regardless of MVD’s inspection
efforts, there are school buses on the Provinces highways that do not
meet the required safety standards."
Suggestions for immediate action by the Department of Government Services
Surprise inspections for school buses should be conducted to
supplement the regular inspection schedule.
Ensure that the school bus inspection process is adequately
documented with Official Inspection Stations being required to note in
the inspection form whether each inspection item is accepted or
rejected. Also, these inspection forms should be signed by the person
conducting the inspection.
The Department should ensure that all equipment used to inspect
school buses meet the manufacturers recommended specifications. This was
a problem in terms of the brake meter used to assess breaking efficiency
in the past.
The Department should ensure that Official Inspection Stations have
their licences renewed and meet the requirements of annual inspections
which are required for such stations.
Suggestions for immediate action by the Department of Education
Set out employment and training requirements for school bus drivers.
Require school Boards to check the criminal records of all bus
drivers and the Department should outline what would constitute an
unacceptable criminal record.
Assist school boards in developing policy and procedures manuals that
outline the responsibilities of the various parties involved with the
transportation of students including the students, parents/ guardians,
bus drivers and school staff.
Require first aid certification for all drivers.
Require bus drivers to take driver safety courses including aspects
such as dealing with inappropriate child behavior.
Require school boards to implement a school bus safety program which
includes classroom instruction related to school bus safety, school bus
boarding and unloading drills.
Review the rates paid to private operators to ensure an acceptable
amount is paid to allow reasonable allowances for repairs and bus
replacement.
|