School buses scene of two mishaps

Student transportation provider First Service Canada is conducting investigations after two accidents involving its school buses in the area.

In a March 17 incident in Bolton, a school bus lost a rear tire as it was travelling northbound on Regional Road 50. The accident happened shortly after 9 a.m., after the students had been dropped off at their respective schools.

The female driver of the bus has been charged with operating an unsafe vehicle, and the company has been charged with permit operation of an unsafe vehicle. A court date of April 17 has been set on both charges.

In the second incident, a fire extinguisher was accidentally discharged while six students were on the bus as it proceeded along an Orangeville-area route. There were no serious injuries.

An investigation into the second incident concluded that the extinguisher, located at the front of the bus, has accidentally been dislodged from its bracket by a student adjusting his back pack. It fell to the floor when the driver came to a full stop.

"It was an unusual situation," said Greg Sequin of Wellington Dufferin Student Transportation Services, who investigated the incident. "To be proactive, we moved (the bracket for the extinguisher) further from the front of the bus. But it is still closer to the driver than it was before."

As for the accident in Bolton, First Student general manager Dan Maridan says "we are still investigating."

Saying such incidents are very rare, Mr. Maridan says a representative from the vehicle's manufacturer has also been called in to investigate.

"Our regular vehicle inspections actually exceed the requirements of the Ministry of Transportation," said Mr. Maridan.

He says mechanics carry out a thorough 100- point inspection every 60 days or 5,000 kilometres, and adds that such inspections last up to half a day.

First Student Canada acquired the school bus carrier Laidlaw in the fall of 2007.

In Canada, the company is responsible for transportation close to 2.5 million students a day on over 60,000 buses.