Canada.com: N.B. moms renew push to ban 'dangerous' vans for school trips

The mothers of two New Brunswick high-school basketball players who lost their lives in a van crash four years ago lament that little has been done since then to ban 15-passenger vans for student travel.

Click here to read original article on Canada.com website

Isabelle Hains and Ana Acevedo — respective mothers of Daniel and Javier, who were 17 when they were killed in a 15-passenger van crash in Bathurst, N.B., on Jan. 12, 2008 — have been campaigning for years to educate people about this type of van they say is unfit for passenger transportation.

A coroner's inquest following the Bathurst tragedy — which killed five other students and a teacher — recommended such vans be barred across Canada for student travel. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec have since outlawed the vans for school use.

Hains and Acevedo are now urging the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board to turn down a request from a Prince Edward Island company for a permit to transport university students using 15-passenger vans.

"This shows that some people haven't learned a lesson from our children's deaths," Hains said in a telephone interview.

The company Advanced Shuttle Services Ltd. has applied to get a licence to set up a daily shuttle service, using 15-passenger vans, between P.E.I. and New Brunswick.

"It is incredible to us that, on the eve of the fourth anniversary of our sons' deaths, the EUB would even consider the possibility of allowing Advanced Shuttle Services Ltd. to provide a lower level of safety for inter-city transportation services targeting students," the mothers wrote in a letter sent Sunday to the New Brunswick agency.

Hains stressed that 15-passenger vans are dangerous because they were originally designed as cargo vehicles and lack the normal passenger protections, such as reinforced steel roofs or crash-proof windows, common on other passenger vehicles.

"There's a reason why they're called death traps," Hains said.

She said there is an alternative vehicle that is available, called a Multi Function Activity Bus (D270), which has the same safety standard as the yellow school buses.

A spokesman for the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board stressed the agency will review the permit's request based on the comments it is receiving. If needed, a public hearing could be held in February to determine whether the P.E.I. company should be granted a licence, said EUB spokesman Dave Young.

Transport Canada is currently conducting a safety review of 15-passenger vans, expected to be released later this year.

mwhite@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/whitma
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Click here to read original article on Canada.com website

Regina Leader Post: N.B. moms renew push to ban 'dangerous' vans for school trips

By Marianne White, Postmedia News January 9, 2012 5:06 PM

The mothers of two New Brunswick high-school basketball players who lost their lives in a van crash four years ago lament that little has been done since then to ban 15-passenger vans for student travel.

Click here to read original article in the Regina Leader Post on line

Isabelle Hains and Ana Acevedo — respective mothers of Daniel and Javier, who were 17 when they were killed in a 15-passenger van crash in Bathurst, N.B., on Jan. 12, 2008 — have been campaigning for years to educate people about this type of van they say is unfit for passenger transportation.

A coroner's inquest following the Bathurst tragedy — which killed five other students and a teacher — recommended such vans be barred across Canada for student travel. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec have since outlawed the vans for school use.

Hains and Acevedo are now urging the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board to turn down a request from a Prince Edward Island company for a permit to transport university students using 15-passenger vans.

"This shows that some people haven't learned a lesson from our children's deaths," Hains said in a telephone interview.

The company Advanced Shuttle Services Ltd. has applied to get a licence to set up a daily shuttle service, using 15-passenger vans, between P.E.I. and New Brunswick.

"It is incredible to us that, on the eve of the fourth anniversary of our sons' deaths, the EUB would even consider the possibility of allowing Advanced Shuttle Services Ltd. to provide a lower level of safety for inter-city transportation services targeting students," the mothers wrote in a letter sent Sunday to the New Brunswick agency.

Hains stressed that 15-passenger vans are dangerous because they were originally designed as cargo vehicles and lack the normal passenger protections, such as reinforced steel roofs or crash-proof windows, common on other passenger vehicles.

"There's a reason why they're called death traps," Hains said.

She said there is an alternative vehicle that is available, called a Multi Function Activity Bus (D270), which has the same safety standard as the yellow school buses.

A spokesman for the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board stressed the agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif will review the permit's request based on the comments it is receiving. If needed, a public hearing could be held in February to determine whether the P.E.I. company should be granted a licence, said EUB spokesman Dave Young.

Transport Canada is currently conducting a safety review of 15-passenger vans, expected to be released later this year.

mwhite@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/whitma
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Click here to read original article in the Regina Leader Post on line

Saskatoon Star Pheonix: N.B. moms renew push to ban 'dangerous' vans for school trips

By Marianne White, Postmedia News January 9, 2012 5:06 PM

The mothers of two New Brunswick high-school basketball players who lost their lives in a van crash four years ago lament that little has been done since then to ban 15-passenger vans for student travel.

Click here to read original article in Sasktatoon Star Pheonix on line

Isabelle Hains and Ana Acevedo — respective mothers of Daniel and Javier, who were 17 when they were killed in a 15-passenger van crash in Bathurst, N.B., on Jan. 12, 2008 — have been campaigning for years to educate people about this type of van they say is unfit for passenger transportation.

A coroner's inquest following the Bathurst tragedy — which killed five other students and a teacher — recommended such vans be barred across Canada for student travel. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec have since outlawed the vans for school use.

Hains and Acevedo are now urging the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board to turn down a request from a Prince Edward Island company for a permit to transport university students using 15-passenger vans.

"This shows that some people haven't learned a lesson from our children's deaths," Hains said in a telephone interview.

The company Advanced Shuttle Services Ltd. has applied to get a licence to set up a daily shuttle service, using 15-passenger vans, between P.E.I. and New Brunswick.

"It is incredible to us that, on the eve of the fourth anniversary of our sons' deaths, the EUB would even consider the possibility of allowing Advanced Shuttle Services Ltd. to provide a lower level of safety for inter-city transportation services targeting students," the mothers wrote in a letter sent Sunday to the New Brunswick agency.

Hains stressed that 15-passenger vans are dangerous because they were originally designed as cargo vehicles and lack the normal passenger protections, such as reinforced steel roofs or crash-proof windows, common on other passenger vehicles.

"There's a reason why they're called death traps," Hains said.

She said there is an alternative vehicle that is available, called a Multi Function Activity Bus (D270), which has the same safety standard as the yellow school buses.

A spokesman for the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board stressed the agency will review the permit's request based on the comments it is receiving. If needed, a public hearing could be held in February to determine whether the P.E.I. companhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gify should be granted a licence, said EUB spokesman Dave Young.

Transport Canada is currently conducting a safety review of 15-passenger vans, expected to be released later this year.

mwhite@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/whitma
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Click here to read original article in Sasktatoon Star Pheonix on line

Metro News Calgary: Van company touts safety amid moms' concerns

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. - A P.E.I.-based shuttle company looking to expand into New Brunswick says two mothers objecting to its use of 15-passenger vans have valid concerns.

Click here to read original article on Metro News Calgary on line

But Advanced Shuttle Services Ltd. says its vans are equipped with snow tires and undergo regular, comprehensive inspections to ensure the safety of its passengers.

The company has applied to New Brunswick's Energy and Utilities Board for a permit to use the vehicles, which are banned for student-use in that province.

The application is being denounced by Isabelle Hains and Ana Acevedo, whose teenage sons were killed in a 15-passenger van crash near Bathurst four years ago.

David Anderson, owner of the shuttle company, says safety is a priority and only specially licensed drivers are permitted behind the wheel.

Anderson says there have been no accidents since the company began operating in 1999.

Click here to read original article on Metro News Calgary on line

The Guardian: Mothers of Boys in Red victims object to P.E.I. shuttle service's plans to expand route into N.B.

BATHURST, N.B. - Two mothers whose sons were killed in a collision involving a 15-passenger van four years ago are voicing their objections to a plan by a shhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifuttle service based in P.E.I. to expand its routes into New Brunswick.

Click here to read original article in The Guardian on line

Isabelle Hains and Ana Acevedo both had 17-year-old sons who were killed in the tragedy four years ago. The teenagers were members of a Bathurst high school basketball team travelling in a 15-passenger van that collided with a transfer truck on a snow-covered road, killing seven people in 2008.

Advanced Shuttle Services Ltd, a Summerside based shuttle service, has recently applied to the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board for a permit to operate in N.B. The company uses 15-passenger vans.

The service currently operates between P.E.I. and N.S. and is hoping to expand to N.B. after the Acadian Coach Lines lockout last month eliminated the only bus link between the two provinces.

In a press release Sunday, Hains said the application "proves they have learned nothing from our sons' deaths."

The mothers said it's a public safety issue and cite their tragedy as one of the reasons why the board should decline a permit.

The EUB will allow any individuals or groups until Feb. 7 to register objections or offer support with the proposal.

Click here to read original article in The Guardian on line

Journal Pioneer: Mothers oppose shuttle plans

Parents of teens killed in crash critical of Island firm's van proposal

BATHURST, N.B. - Two women who lost children in a deadly van crash are objecting to a Summerside shuttle service's bid to operate in New Brunswick.

Click here to read original article on The Journal Pioneer

Advanced Shuttle Services has applied to the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board to operate there. But Isabelle Hains and Ana Acevedo claim in a press release issued Sunday night that 15-passenger vans are inherently dangerous.

Their sons Daniel and Javier were two of seven teenagers killed when a van carrying members of the Bathurst High School Phantoms basketball team crashed four years ago. An adult also died in the collision with a truck.

An inquiry followed which led to the New Brunswick government adopting some of the coroner's recommendations.

"As a result of our sons' deaths, 15-passenger vans were banned for student use in New Brunswick. They have also been banned in Nova Scotia and Quebec," the mothers wrote in their submission to the EUB. "In terms of passenger safety, 15-passenger vans are not equal to the safety provided by the charter buses used by Acadian Bus Lines."

Acadian Lines buses are not operating on New Brunswick or P.E.I. roadways. Workers were locked out more than a month ago when contract talks stalled.

In their submission, the women say there is a great deal of research that says vans are not as safe as buses and that van drivers are not required to meet the same licensing standards as those who drive coaches and school buses.

"This is a public safety issue and the EUB cannot ignore the fact that in New Brunswick, of all places, there is a heightened awareness and sensitivity to the use of 15-passenger vans for transporting groups of people, especially students," the women write in their statement.

They say any shuttle service not using coaches should use a 21-passenger Multi-Function Activity Bus, which looks like a shortened school bus.

Click here to read original article on The Journal Pioneer

Collision Repair Magazine: Objections raised to PEI carrier's application for permit to use 15 passenger vans

Two Bathurst mothers whose sons were killed in a tragic 15 passenger van collision that took the lives of seven members of the Bathurst High School Phantoms basketball team say not much has changed since their sons' deaths four years ago.

Click here to read original article in Collision Repair Magazine

"We still have a long way to go to educate the public about the dangerous use of 15 passenger vans for human transportation," says Isabelle Hains, whose son Daniel was 17 years old when he was killed on January 12, 2008.

Hains say a recent application to the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board by Advanced Shuttle Services Ltd. of PEI for a permit to transport university students using 15 passenger vans "proves they have learned nothing from our sons' deaths."

Hains and Ana Acevedo, whose 17 year old son Javier was also killed in the Bathurst crash, are objecting to the PEI company's application to the EUB. They say it's a public safety issue and cite the record of 15 passenger vans, including the Boys in Red tragedy, as reasons why the Board should decline a permit.

Hains and Acevedo say that although the Liberal government of Shawn Graham banned the use of 15 passenger vans for student transportation in the wake of the Boys in Red tragedy, replacing them with Multi-Function Activity Buses (MFABs), both the Liberal and Conservative governments refuse to hire professional Class 2 B licensed drivers, one of the May 2009 Coroners Inquest key recommendations.

"Instead, the government prefers to use volunteer drivers - well meaning coaches, teachers and other parents who shouldn't have that responsibility on their shoulders. These MFABs are similar to Yellow School Buses. They require a skill to drive them which professional Class 2 bus drivers already have. That would solve a lot of the safety and policy issues right there because professional bus drivers know what they have to do. They are already trained," Hains says.

In their letter to the EUB, Hains and Acevedo say that Advanced Shuttle Services is targetting University students and they feel compelled to object to the permit:

The full text of the letter to the EUB is available at blog.vanangels.ca/2012/01/new-brunswick-energy-and-utilities.html.
Last Updated on Monday, 09 January 2012 11:28

Click here to read original article in Collision Repair Magazine