Almost 200 school buses were cancelled Monday across London after a widely-used bus operator ordered inspections on their vehicles.
On Monday morning, Langs Bus Lines called for an immediate service disruption of 186 routes to conduct safety checks on its buses, said in a statement posted to My Big Yellow Bus.
(Credit: John Mahoney, Montreal Gazette)
This follows a bus fire incident that happened last week in Quebec where an electric bus caught on fire carrying five elementary school students and a driver, with no injuries reported in the case.
The Quebec government has since issued a safety bulletin for bus operators using Lion Electric, urging an inspection of the fleet’s heating and defrosting control system.
Langs Bus Lines uses Lion Electric to service the Thames Valley District School Board and London District Catholic School Board, impacting transportation to schools in the city’s broader community.
“Langs Bus Lines is the school bus operator of these vehicles in the STS service area and will be conducting the inspections. As a result of the safety bulletin released by Lion Electric the decision was made to remove the electric vehicles from service to ensure safety of students and staff,” said the statement from My Big Yellow Bus.
“If your child’s route uses a Langs Bus Lines electric vehicle it may be temporarily cancelled while inspections are underway.”
The release reads that inspections have started Monday morning, and they now “are on target to complete all inspections by the end of the workday today, and regular service will resume tomorrow”
“We understand this is inconvenient and appreciate your cooperation as we prioritize safety.”
