School transportation is being interrupted again on Monday for students across Quebec after 1,200 Lion Electric buses were pulled from the roads. This comes after a school bus caught fire in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough last week. The vehicles were expected to undergo a preventive inspection over the weekend. “If adjustments are necessary on the vehicles, alternatives will be offered to parents for transporting their children to school,” said Quebec Education Minister Sonia LeBel and Transport Minister Jonatan Julien in a joint statement on Thursday. The ministers insisted they were monitoring the situation closely. The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) confirmed on Monday that some of its buses would be affected by the ongoing inspections. “This is in order to continue a full inspection,” the board noted. “As a result, no transportation will be available for students who normally use these electric buses.” Routes cancelled are 101, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 113, 114, 117, 118, 119, 121, 122, 124, 126, 130, 132, 133, 134, 201, 202, 203, 204, 206, 207, 208, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 220, 222, 227, 228, 229, 230, 233, 234, 235, 236, 238, 239, 240, 242, 243, 244, 248, 249, 254, 256, 257, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 265, 266, 269, 271, 274, 275, 276, 277, 284, 285, 501, 508 and 511. All diesel buses are expected to continue to operate as usual. As for the Eastern Townships School Board, officials said they were waiting for further instructions regarding the inspections. The buses affected are 3, 11, 43, 51, 53, 59 and 64. The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) also confirmed that the ongoing safety inspections were interrupting services. “If your child is assigned to one of these buses, we ask that you please make alternate transportation arrangements to ensure they can get to and from school safely,” the board said. “We understand this may cause inconvenience and appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we prioritize student safety.” The cancelled buses include 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45, 61, 62, 63, 65, 68, 69, 73, 602, 607, 105, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119 and 120. The New Frontiers School Board said all of its buses have been inspected, but it is awaiting government approval before resuming service. “This means that on Monday morning, we may still not have the service of 10 electric buses that transport to the following schools: Hemmingford, Howick, CVR, Mary Gardner, St. Willibrord, Centennial Park and HSB,” the board said. “If your child is affected directly, you will have a notification in your Parent Portal.” Officials noted that schools have been asked to be flexible with the children’s arrival times. Riverside School Board apologized for “sending this information so late [but] but transporters have just informed us that some buses will still not be allowed to run.” The board said that more cancellations are expected, “and we are working as quickly as possible to send out these notifications.” It said its transportation team is in contact with transporters to receive the latest updates. The buses affected are 188, 267, 325, 343, 401, 583, 585 and 715. The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board encouraged parents of children affected by the bus interruptions to make alternate arrangements. “Thank you for your patience during this situation out of our control,” the board said. The buses affected are: 2, 3, 6, 14, 19, 24, 25 and 33. Bus catches fire The cancellations come after an electric school bus burst into flames last Tuesday in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough. The incident occurred at 8 a.m. on Victoria Avenue and Jean-Talon Street Ouest. The driver and six children safely exited the bus and took shelter in a nearby building, but the vehicle was a total loss. Montreal fire department Chief Martin Guilbault said the cause of the fire remains unknown, but confirmed it was not due to the electric battery.
