Province Orders 66 New School Buses

EDUCATION–Province Orders 66 New School Buses

Hundreds of students across the province will be riding on 66 new school buses, starting next fall.

The Thomas Built buses are to be delivered to school boards next summer, at an estimated cost of $4.6 million, and should be rolling in the new school year.

Nova Scotia and the three other Atlantic provinces combine their annual bus purchases to ensure they can buy new buses at the best possible price.

"Everyone benefits from this joint purchasing agreement we have with the other Atlantic provinces. School boards get new, safe, high quality buses to transport their children and the province saves money," said Education Minister Jamie Muir.

This year, the buses cost four per cent less than last year.

"We've saved more than $6.2 million since we began bulk purchasing 11 years ago. This year alone, we're saving an estimated $900,000 by teaming up with our neighbouring provinces," said Mr. Muir.

In addition to being a good value, the buses are designed to be both sturdy and safe. Statistically, school buses are the safest form of transportation on the road today.

"Safety is the first priority in transporting school children," said Mr. Muir. "School buses have been shown to be almost 200 times safer than automobile transportation."

School bus construction standards are set by Transport Canada. School buses incorporate design elements that are not available in family vehicles. These include carefully spaced, high-back seats that cushion the students in a collision, and a chassis that is designed to absorb the force of an impact and to shield the passengers from harm.

NOTE: Following is a list of the school bus distribution:

• Annapolis Valley Regional School Board: 6 buses

• Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board: 10 buses, including 2 accessible buses

• Chignecto Central Regional School Board: 16 buses, including 4 accessible buses

• Conseil scolaire acadien provincial: 4 buses, including 1 accessible bus

• South Shore Regional School Board: 9 buses

• Tri-County Regional School Board: 8 buses

• Strait Regional School Board: 13 buses, including 1 accessible bus