Aspen View Public Schools is negotiating with bus contractor First Student after discovering some things it was “less than happy with” in its agreements with the contractor, according to Aspen View board of trustees chair Dennis MacNeil.
The negotiations come after the school board of trustees voted unanimously at its April 26 board meeting to seek legal counsel regarding transportation operations after an in-camera session.
“We wanted to make sure that everything we were doing was by the book and well within our contract with First Student,” MacNeil said in an interview. “So Aspen View gathered information through the lawyer and through those agreements to look at the contractors. At this point, there are some negotiations underway with First Student but no decisions have been made.”
MacNeil said he could not discuss what the negotiations are about in more detail as they are still ongoing.
“I can tell you there were some things we found that we were less than happy with,” MacNeil said. “We wanted to make sure all of those issues were addressed before moving on.”
The school board motion made April 26 said the action is a response to growing concerns about student transportation.
“Due to a growing number of concerns expressed regarding student transportation, the Board of Trustees directs administration to consult with legal counsel to review current transportation operations against existing contracts, specifically in regard to provisions to ensure safe and reliable delivery of transportation services,” the motion reads.
There has been some exchange of ideas with First Student, MacNeil said, adding the board is pleased with the progress so far.
“We’re really pleased with how things are moving forward,” MacNeil said. “Hopefully, we move forward in a very positive manner.”
Issues with First Student buses
First Student was the subject of an investigation by the Athabasca Advocate, published May 1.
The investigation highlighted multiple incidents in which First Student buses experienced technical breakdowns on route. These included a wheel falling off a bus while transporting students in Grassland March 21 and a muffler falling off of another bus travelling the same route in Grassland March 22.
First Student Canada launched a “full investigation” into the March 21 incident, according to company spokesperson Jay Brock.
In another incident, a First Student bus transporting Grassland School children for a field trip April 18 overheated, requiring a mechanic to be dispatched to work on the bus while students waited nearby.
The company has also been part of an issue with driver shortages in Aspen View Public Schools. A total of 2.92 per cent of bus routes had been cancelled this school year, according to a report at the April 12 board of trustees meeting, compared to less than one per cent last year.
Despite running only 50 per cent of routes in the school division, First Student was responsible for 95 per cent of total routes cancelled due to driver availability. They were also responsible for 79 per cent of routes cancelled due to “bus availability,” which Aspen View secretary-treasurer Amber Oko said is when a bus is broken down and no spares are available.
Transportation policy review ongoing
A separate third-party review of Aspen View Public Schools transportation procedures is also underway, MacNeil said.
The board of trustees unanimously carried a motion March 15 to have a third-party review done as a response to the March 7 Thorhild School bus crash, which claimed the life of student Maisie Watkinson.
The review will encompass all of the division’s transportation policies and procedures, as well as the administrative procedure around the Thorhild crash, MacNeil said. However, he added it will take some time to complete, estimating a report will come forward from the review in late summer or early fall.
“It’s a very tedious task, very time-consuming. A lot of documents need to be reviewed,” MacNeil said, adding a report would come back to the board of trustees, who would then direct administration to come up a plan to implement recommendations. “It’s really difficult to forecast what those recommendations are going to be or exactly when the review will be completed.”
The school board hired Kosabeck Consulting Services Inc. based out of Camrose to conduct the review, according to Aspen View communications officer Ross Hunter. MacNeil said the hire was recommended by division administration as the consulting firm had done a similar review of transportation policy for Wolf Creek Public Schools.
Investigation into Thorhild crash
An RCMP investigation into the March 7 Thorhild crash is still ongoing, according to RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Ronald Bumbry.
He said in a May 30 interview no charges have yet been laid in the investigation.
Both vehicles involved in the collision, which include a school bus from First Student and a gravel truck, were being inspected as part of the investigation, he added.
“I can confirm that both vehicles were being looked at and inspected, but other than that I don’t have any further updates to provide you as far as any types of charges,” Bumbry said in an interview.
An update would be announced if any charges are laid, Bumbry said, but he could not provide a timeline for the investigation.
“All the reports that are received back from the collision analyst do take time to analyze,” Bumbry said. “Then depending on those results, they do look at the possibility of a charge is going to be laid and there’s consideration and consultation with the traffic analyst. I’m not sure where that stands currently.”
