Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Six Lion Electric buses covering ten routes with the New Frontiers School Board were back on the roads this week, after they were abruptly pulled from circulation and sidelined on September 10. Electric buses covering nine routes with the Centre de Services Scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands were also temporarily grounded.

In a September 14 communication to NFSB families, the school board confirmed the buses had been inspected and transport companies were waiting on government approval before they could return to service. The companies were required to provide a certificate of compliance to school boards and service centres following the inspection, which dragged on over the week. In the meantime, parents were required to find alternative transport for their children while boards and service centres were able to do little more than provide regular updates to affected families.

According to the NFSB, the boards and service centres received instructions from the education ministry to review evacuation procedures with students by screening a provided safety video and by posting evacuation process posters in buses. Affected NFSB schools, including Hemmingford, Howick, Mary Gardner, St. Willibrord, and Centennial Park elementary schools as well as both Chateauguay Valley Regional and Howard S. Billings high schools, were advised to be more flexible with arrival times and to expect more car and foot traffic in drop-off areas.

The NFSB encouraged parents to speak with their children, as this situation like many other busing issues happened without advance notice, and to ensure that children know what to do in the event their school bus does not arrive.