The province's main political parties disagree whether the drivers of passenger buses such as this one should be required to possess a Class 2 licence, especially to drive students to extracurricular activitiesPublished Monday September 20th, 2010
Click here to read original article in the Telegraph Journal
Safety: Conservatives say they're open to making Class 2 licences mandatory for school transportation, Liberals say tougher regulations would result in too many drivers being unqualified to transport students to extracurricular events
A5 Benjamin Shingler, Telegraph-Journal
BATHURST - The Progressive Conservatives are leaving the door open to the possibility of making Class 2 licences mandatory for school transportation, while the Liberals say the added regulation would make it difficult for students to participate in extra-curricular events.
A Class 2 licence is required to operate a bus with a capacity of more than 24 passengers, but school safety advocate Isabelle Hains wants the next provincial government to make the licence mandatory for transporting students in minibuses, which hold 21 passengers.
Tory Leader David Alward said a Conservative government would create a strategy to improve student travel safety, and did not rule out making the licence mandatory.
"To accomplish this we will work with parents, education stakeholders and the appropriate government departments," Alward said in a statement.
"We understand the value and benefits of extracurricular activities for New Brunswick's students ... However, we also recognize the importance of ensuring students who participate in these types of extracurricular activities must travel to them as safely as possible."
"I can't be more clear when I say that student safety is paramount."
But Education Minister Roland Haché, the Liberal candidate for Nigadoo-Chaleur, said the Liberal government already held consultations, and determined the added regulation would be impractical and costly.
"During consultations with stakeholders, groups were concerned that a lack of availability of certified Class 2 drivers in their communities would impede their ability to participate in extracurricular events," he said in a statement.
As an alternative, he said the government introduced a mandatory driver safety program, which is now required prior to transporting students to extracurricular activities.
"Courses are available across the province," he said. "The drivers' safety course is free of charge to participants, and represents a $100,000 investment to strengthen student transportation safety."
Making the licence mandatory for school travel was among the recommendations included in the coroner's report into a 2008 van accident that killed seven members of the Bathurst High School basketball team, including Hains' son Daniel, and the coach's wife.
Two other key recommendations from the report have already been introduced in New Brunswick, Hains said.
The Liberal government banned 15-passenger vans for school transportation, replacing them last year with minibuses. The province has also made winter tires mandatory on the vehicles. Making the Class 2 licence mandatory would complete the picture, Hains said.
"All three go hand-in-hand to get the safest results for our children," she said.
Hains said the training courses introduced by the Liberal government aren't enough to prepare drivers to handle the minibuses, which are officially known as multi-function activity buses.
She said money shouldn't be a consideration when it comes to student safety.
Click here to read original article in the Telegraph Journal
