Question Period Note: School Bus Safety

School bus safety

• School bus safety is a priority for Transport Canada. That is why, in July 2022, Transport Canada published a regulatory proposal in the Canada Gazette, Part I focused on key safety enhancing features for school buses.
• The regulatory proposal follows the February 2020 Report of the Task Force on School Bus Safety (PDF, 1.26 MB: https://comt.ca/Reports/School%20Bus%20Safety%202020.pdf), released by the Council of Ministers responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety. The report recommends key technologies to further enhance school bus safety, as well as seatbelt pilot projects.
• Transport Canada is actively working with partners in British Columbia and Sudbury, Ontario to carry out the pilot projects, which were extended through the 2022-23 school year to account for the impacts of the pandemic.
• Results are expected over the summer and early fall and will be used to inform decision-making on whether seatbelts on school buses could eventually become a viable safety measure in Canada.

• School buses are the safest way to transport school children. Still, Transport Canada (TC) continues to work with provincial and territorial (PT) partners in this area of shared jurisdiction to find ways to make school buses even safer.
• In July 2018, TC published regulations for the optional installation of three-point seatbelts on school buses. At present, the decision rests with owners/operators and school boards, together with PTs, to determine whether to install them, recognizing that – while research confirms they can provide an extra layer of safety in certain rare but severe school bus collision scenarios (e.g. rollover) –there are important financial and operational matters that must be considered (e.g., belt misuse/adjustment, emergency evacuations, liability).
• In January 2019, the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety established a Task Force on School Bus Safety, comprised of FPT officials and a diverse stakeholder community (e.g., fleet operators, safety groups, manufacturers, school boards, driver unions) to take a fresh look at school bus safety, including the possibility/implications of mandating seatbelt installation.
• On February 14, 2020, the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety approved the release of the Task Force’s final report, Strengthening School Bus Safety in Canada (PDF, 1.26 MB: https://comt.ca/Reports/School%20Bus%20Safety%202020.pdf), recommending the pursuit of key safety technologies aimed at protecting children outside the bus, where the greatest risks exist. The Council of Ministers also agreed to launch pilot projects (https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2020/02/government-of-canada-launches-school-bus-seatbelt-pilots-in-the-district-of-sudbury-ontario-and-british-columbia.html) to assess the viability of seatbelts on school buses in Canada.
• On July 2, 2022, Transport Canada published proposed regulations in the Canada Gazette, Part I (https://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2022/2022-07-02/html/reg2-eng.html) that would apply only to newly manufactured/imported buses and would:
  o Require the mandatory installation of extended stop arms and exterior perimeter visibility systems on and new imported school buses;
  o Set minimum requirements for the voluntary installation of infraction/stop arms cameras, in recognition of jurisdictional concerns with respect to infraction/stop arm cameras;
  o Mandate a label indicating the school bus may be equipped with infraction/stop arm cameras.
• TC’s technical experts continue to carefully examine these comments, some of which are very technical in nature. The results of this work will determine the path forward, including future publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II.
• In parallel, in collaboration with the Government of British Columbia and the City of Sudbury, Ontario, TC launched school bus seatbelt pilot projects to assess the operational considerations associated with the use of three-point seatbelts on 6 school buses.
• The pilot project in British Columbia was launched in September 2020 (https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2020/09/government-of-canada-and-government-of-british-columbia-begin-school-bus-seatbelt-pilot-tests.html). The pilot in Ontario began in January 2021. These pilots were extended due to the impacts of the pandemic and are now expected to conclude at the end of June 2023.
• Results will be compiled over the summer/early fall and will serve to inform decision-making by the Council of Ministers with respect to the viability of school bus seatbelts in Canada.

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