New Brunswick pulls 22 electric school buses off the road

An electric school bus fire in Montreal prompted a recall of buses in the Maritimes.

A total of 22 electric school buses have been pulled off the roads in New Brunswick for safety reasons.

Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson Jason Hoyt said staff members are conducting inspections of the buses and are working with Lion Electric, a Quebec-based electric bus company, to make the necessary repairs and get the vehicles back on the roads safely and as quickly as possible.

The Anglophone East School District has 11 Lion Electric buses in its fleet, Anglophone South has 10, and there is one in the Francophone Sud school district.

“School districts manage the daily operation of school bus runs,” said Hoyt in an email. “Each district has an allocation of school buses from the provincially managed fleet and allocates a certain number to be used as spares for when buses in daily operation need to be off the road.”

Hoyt said the safe and reliable transportation of students back and forth to their schools is top priority.

Stephanie Patterson, a spokesperson for the Anglophone East School District, said all 11 of its electric buses have been pulled off the road and replaced with other buses while they are being inspected.

Anglophone East School District Superintendent Randy MacLEAN sent a letter to families on Monday informing them two bus runs for students at four Moncton schools were cancelled.

“This decision follows the immediate recall of all LION electric buses for safety inspections after a safety concern with the company was reported in Quebec last week,” said MacLEAN. “At this time, our district does not have enough replacement buses available to cover every impacted route.”

Patterson said they were able to secure temporary resources from the province for Tuesday’s runs.

“We were able to secure two additional buses on Monday evening, so no other routes have been impacted this week,” she said.

The Anglophone South School District hasn’t had any disruption to service.

“We’ll continue to do our best to avoid any impact on students,” said district spokesperson Jessica Hanlon.

The decision to pull the buses comes after a Lion Electric school bus burst into flames in Montreal last week.

The driver and six children aboard the bus managed to exit the vehicle safely and took shelter in a nearby building.

All 1,200 Lion Electric school buses were pulled from service in Quebec last week so inspectors could examine their wiring and electrical connections.

P.E.I. buses

Prince Edward Island’s Department of Transportation conducted inspection on Lion buses last weekend, but it’s not known on how many.

“Inspections confirmed that the electric school buses are safe,” said department spokesperson Stacey Miller in a statement. “Minor repairs were conducted, and the buses are back in service. Transport Canada observed the inspection process and expressed satisfaction with the results.”

Miller said the department was confident in the safety of the buses, but taking extra precautions was the right move.

Prince Edward Island Education critic and Charlottetown–Hillsborough Park MLA Carolyn Simpson wants more clarity and communication for parents who have children who take electric buses.

“What does that mean? Is that a short-term repair? Is there long-term that is needed? Basically, at the end of the day, what is the status of that?” said Simpson.

Simpson put forward a motion during an education standing committee to get a better understanding of what was done on the weekend and what, if anything, is outstanding.

She wants to know the full list of results of all inspections completed on Lion Electric buses in use, the total number of all inspections completed and any findings, recommendations, or corrective actions identified through these inspections.

“What’s missing is were all buses that are operational inspected? Were there any that were not in operation and if so will they or have they been inspected?” said Simpson.

The motion passed.

A spokesperson for Nova Scotia said they do not have any electric school buses and none of its contractors use them either.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.