Toronto, Ontario
May 11, 2000

Prepared by:
PricewaterhouseCoopers

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Introduction
   
• 2.0 Main Themes
   
• 3.0 Specific Comments Regarding School Buses
  • 3.1 Seat Belts
  • 3.2 Public Education
  • 3.3 Eight Lamp System
  • 3.4 Seating Capacity
  • 3.5 Definition of a School Bus
  • 3.6 Crossing Arms
  • 3.7 West Coast Mirrors
  • 3.8 Special Needs Transportation
  • 3.9 Perimeter Issues
  • 3.10 Policy / Standards / Regulations
     
• Appendix A – Agenda
   
• Appendix B – List of Participants
   
• Appendix C – Participants’ Reactions

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1.0 Introduction

In June 1999, Transport Canada, with the assistance of the Institute On Governance, held a pilot session in Victoria, B.C. to discuss the issue of bus safety and identify actions which might further improve Canada’s strong safety record. PricewaterhouseCoopers was contracted by Transport Canada to assist, in conjunction with the Institute on Governance, with Bus Safety Consultations across Canada.

The Ontario workshop followed the Maritime, Prairie and Manitoba workshops respectively held on February 29^th, 2000, March 7^th, 2000 and March 14, 2000. The session in Ontario took place on May 11, 2000 at the Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The facilitators were Ms. Nathalie Roy and Mr. Gary Robertson of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Session participants included a number of representatives from different stakeholder groups: bus operators, bus manufacturers, public safety and medical organizations, school boards and trustees, parent association representatives, high school students, municipal government and representatives from the federal and provincial transport departments.

The first three Bus Safety Consultation workshops aimed at discussing both school bus and motor coach safety issues. Unlike these sessions, the one held in Toronto on May 11^th focussed exclusively on school bus safety. A separate workshop devoted to motor coach safety was held on May 12^th. It was organized and facilitated by the Institute on Governance. Summary of the latter session will be presented in a separate report prepared by the Institute on Governance.

Mr. Derek Sweet from Transport Canada made a presentation on the context in which the consultation is taking place. Reference was made to the information packages, Canada’s exemplary record on bus safety, the desire to touch base with the public and the special effort devoted to obtaining a fair representation of the industry and the stakeholders. Mr. Sweet elaborated on the need to discuss the seat belt issue given that Transport Canada receives a great deal of correspondence requesting either the installation of seat belts on school buses or an explanation of their absence. The questions raised by the general public made this item mandatory for discussion.

Mr. Sweet noted that following each consultation session, participants will receive, electronically or by mail, a copy of the report produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers. It was also mentioned that a consolidated report will be produced in the late summer or early fall. Participants and other interested parties were invited to review the consultation outcomes on the web site at http://www.policity.com/worksites_transport.htm (no longer available). Mr. Phillip Haid from the Institute on Governance elaborated on the web site and provided participants with a document explaining the site.

Prior to entering into the discussion, facilitators proceeded with an ice-breaker exercise where participants were "matched" two by two. Participants had five minutes to get to know one another and find one interesting thing about that person to share with the group as a whole.

The overall discussion during the workshop was designed to obtain input and feedback from the participants to better understand:

• their concerns regarding school bus safety;
• their views on installing seat belts in school buses;
• their suggestions on how to prioritize these concerns; and
• their opinions regarding possible strategies to address these concerns.

To exchange ideas on the various issues, participants first met in a plenary session where they identified key issues related to school bus safety. They were then separated into two groups to discuss these issues. They subsequently reconvened as a larger group to share highlights of their discussions. The main issues were as follows:

• Seat belts;
• Public education;
• Eight lamp system;
• Seating capacity;
• Definition of a school bus;
• Crossing arms;
• West coast mirrors;
• Special need transportation;
• Perimeter issues;
• Policy/Standards/Regulations.

The intent of this Summary Report is to present the views and ideas expressed by the participants at the workshop. We have endeavored to capture the discussion as accurately as possible, without offering any overall analysis or conclusions. The Final Report will cull all the ideas and suggestions provided in the sessions and on the web site, and offer some overall analysis and conclusions on bus safety.

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2.0 Main Themes

This section presents the main themes that were highlighted throughout the day’s discussion.

• It was not clear to all participants whether the absence of seat belts on school buses was an issue. Most participants agreed that compartmentalization, higher seat backs with more padding and firmer seat fixation have a greater potential for increasing students’ safety than seat belts. In addition, an expert from Transport Canada presented research results supporting that the use of lap belts does not increase the safety of school buses. No research has yet been conducted on three point belts. Following this presentation and some further exchange of information, it was concluded that seat belts were an issue for the public but not for the industry. Participants recommended educating the general public.
   
• While the group agreed that seat belts were not required to increase the safety of most passengers, there were some notable exceptions. Individuals with special needs (e.g., physical or emotional challenges) often require restraint systems for their personal safety. The group also agreed that individuals with special needs often had unique requirements but believed that more work could be done to develop new standards and to refine existing ones.
   
• In terms of education, some participants felt that it was the responsibility of the transportation provider to prepare and distribute information kits to the parents. Others recommended a coordinated approach from organizations with a vested interest in child safety. The dissemination of information could be done through school boards and parent associations. Attendees requested that the content of the message be consistent across the province. The information kit should include documentation on the following topics:  school buses being safer without seat belts, parents’ responsibility for their child’s behaviour, safety devices, crash test results, new technology, causes of injuries leading to new standards, current statistics,   research results and current standards accompanied of the rationale.
   
• A number of individuals commented that many people were still unclear as to when they were required to stop (i.e., when the flashers are on and the bus is slowing or when the bus has come to a complete stop). It was felt that the current four (4) lamp system contributed to this and that the eight (8) lamp system would go a long way to clarifying it. In the absence of the switch, significant awareness training would need to be undertaken that would target the general motoring public. 
   
• Many participants perceived the issue of seating capacity as important. It was reported that seating capacity includes standees and allowing passengers to stand compromises the safety provided by the compartmentalization and other safety attributes. Participants reached a consensus on the need for an official maximum seating capacity that will reflect the presence of special need children on school buses.
   
• Participants also reached consensus on the benefit of crossing arms to both students and drivers. However, the use of crossing gates as a safety device varies from province to province and participants proposed to make its use mandatory for all provinces. Overall, workshop attendees recommended revising the standard to improve the design and the resistance of the crossing arms prior to becoming mandatory.
   
• Participants reached consensus on the poor quality of the West Coast Mirrors. Many criticisms were made regarding these mirrors as they create serious blind spots, which can cause accidents. 
   
• A significant amount of time was spent discussing safety issues related to the area surrounding the bus. Several individuals noted that the number of injuries and fatalities that occurred outside of the bus were approximately four (4) times that experienced by "riding" passengers. As a result there was a general feeling that safety could be increased considerably by focusing on this aspect of bus operations.

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3.0 Specific Comments Regarding School Buses

This section presents a summary of the comments provided by participants during the plenary and break-out sessions on safety issues related to school buses.

As presented below, participants identified a total of 23 issues related to school buses.

• 1. Crossing arms
• 2. Eight lamp warning system
• 3. Front mounted crossing gates
• 4. New mirror standard
• 5. Seating capacity
• 6. Surrounding areas
• 7. Bus monitors
• 8. Awareness
• 9. Enforcement of regulations
• 10. Rules of the road
• 11. Driver Behavior
• 12. Underage riders (pre-school)
• 13. Supervision at bus stops
• 14. Congregated stops
• 15. Overhead storage racks
• 16. Vehicle passing buses
• 17. Wheel chairs on buses
• 18. Vehicle design
• 19. Special needs children
• 20. High volume/high speed routes
• 21. Driver aids
• 22. Enforcement in Aboriginal communities
• 23. Non traditional school buses/vehicles

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The following section presents highlights of the discussions in relation to the issues identified as most important by the participants: seat belts, public education, eight lamp system, seating capacity, definition of a school bus, crossing arms, west coast mirrors, special need transportation, perimeter issues and policy/standards/regulations. Transport Canada identified the seat belt issue as a mandatory topic for discussion.

3.1 Seat Belts

• At the beginning of the discussion, it was not clear to all participants whether the presence or absence of seat belts on school buses was an issue. Most participants agreed that compartmentalization, higher seat backs with more padding and firmer seat fixation have a greater potential for increasing students’ safety than seat belts. In addition, an expert from Transport Canada presented research results supporting that the use of lap belts does not increase the safety of school buses. No research has yet been conducted on three point belts. Following this presentation and some further exchange of information, it was concluded that seat belts were an issue for the public but not for the industry. Participants recommended educating the general public.
   
• While the group agreed that seat belts were not required to increase the safety of most passengers, there were some notable exceptions. Individuals with special needs (e.g., physical or emotional challenges) often require restraint systems for their personal safety. These systems serve a number of purposes beyond accident injury prevention including physical support for persons with musculature deficiencies and/or paralysis and mobility retention for individuals that may be inclined to injure others through wild or erratic behaviour.
   
• It was reported that seat belts have been installed on some buses in some provinces and in the United States. It was not clear whether this decision was made based on research or resulting from political pressure. However, participants agreed on one thing: where seat belts are installed, seat belts should be worn properly.
   
• In addition to the enforcement aspect of seat belts, more difficulties have been raised regarding the proper installation and use of seat belts. It was also reported that the presence of seat belts might provide a false sense of security to passengers. Attendees identified the provinces as being accountable for the control of seat belt installation.
   
• Some participants reported that despite research results showing that school buses are safer without seat belts, it may not be the case for younger children, e.g., junior kindergarten and kindergarten. One of the experts mentioned that research is being conducted with regards to the use of seat belts for younger students.
   
• Overall, people agreed that there is no need to install lap belts on school buses for primary and high school students but supported the need to conduct more research for kindergarten and junior kindergarten. Also, it was recommended that more research be conducted on the three point seat belts.

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3.2 Public Education

• Given that participants felt that the seat belts were an issue for the general public, it was proposed to better inform the public. The development of brochures, the conduct of meetings with parents and at the community level, newsletters sent to students’ homes and internet, were mentioned as methods for reaching the target population. One participant recommended the book Unreported Miracles – What You Probably Don’t Know About Your Child’s School Bus by Dr. Cal Lemon, as a good reference and information tool for all stakeholders.
   
• Some participants felt that it was the responsibility of the transportation provider to prepare and distribute information kits to the parents. Others recommended a coordinated approach from organizations with a vested interest in child safety. Information could be disseminated through school boards and parent associations. Attendees requested that the content of the message be consistent across the province. The information kit should include documentation on the following topics: school buses being safer without seat belts, parents’ responsibility with regard to their child’s behaviour, safety devices, crash test results, new technology, causes of injuries leading to new standards, current statistics, research results and current standards accompanied of the rationale. The concern whether the information will reach the children’s homes was raised. It was also suggested to create a video on the subject and make it available to parents and/or organizations wanting to promote school bus safety.
   
• Attendees felt that the education surrounding the school bus safety should be funded jointly by Transport Canada and the provincial departments of transportation and education.
   
• Attendees were unanimous that there is no need to spend a lot of money on educating the public. For many, the best solution would be to create a collective web site containing the pertinent information. School officials would simply refer people to the web site.

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3.3 Eight Lamp System

• The common theme of education and awareness training was also discussed. A number of individuals commented that many people were still unclear when they were required to stop i.e., when the flashers are on and the bus is slowing or when the bus has come to a complete stop. It was felt that the current four lamp system contributed to this and that the eight lamp system would go a long way to clarifying it. In the absence of the switch significant awareness training would need to be undertaken that would target the general motoring public. Driver training is particularly important because of the high turnover currently experienced by the industry. Passenger training is also beneficial as it reminds riders of the dangers associated with unsafe methods. The group agreed that wherever possible the training should be consistent and uniform.
   
• Participants, including students, reported having experienced unsafe situations due to the behaviour of drivers of vehicles around school buses. Not all car drivers follow road safety regulations, especially in loading/unloading zones and around congregated stops, often due to misunderstanding the light system in use. Some caution was shared regarding the danger of congregated stops where many children meet at one location and wait for the school bus without supervision. In addition to not being supervised, children often have to wait longer than they would if they were picked up at their homes, increasing the risks associated with weather conditions. Workshop members reinforced the downside of congregated stops and the political impact of such a decision.
   
• The importance of enforcement was also discussed. There was a strong feeling that enforcement mechanisms should be enhanced so that individuals that endangered others by failing to observe laws,  regulations and policies faced a deterrent. Vehicle mounted cameras were suggested as one way to enable this process.

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• Many participants perceived the issue of seating capacity as important. It was obvious that seating capacity does not relate to the comfort of passengers but to their safety. One participant reported that a 72 seat bus does not seat 72 persons but allows for standees up to a maximum of 72 passengers. Allowing passengers to stand compromises the safety provided by compartmentalization and other safety attributes. The safety deficiency increases when compounded with the presence of back packs and audio equipment on school buses.
   
• The number of passengers per seat was also raised as an issue. In general, attendees agreed that 3 per seat for students ranging from kindergarten to grade 6 was safe whereas this number drops to two per seat for high school students. Given that there is no official regulation on seating capacity, some school boards make the decision in this regard but based on participants’ comments, it is not a standardized practice across the province of Ontario, which has lead to overloaded buses. 
   
• A new trend is taking place in the school system, which consists of integrating students from various schools and different levels (primary and secondary students) consequently increasing the difficulty of seating capacity. Another emerging trend is the presence of special need students on regular school buses. Increasingly, school buses are adapted to receive wheel chairs, complicating even further the seating capacity issue.
   
• Participants reached a consensus on the need for an official maximum seating capacity that will reflect the presence of special need children on school buses.

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3.5 Definition of a School Bus

• The situation where students travel by means other than school bus was raised and it was mentioned that the risk of injury increases when children do not use school buses, the safest mode of transportation. Because some alternatives to school buses are not regulated, participants felt that they could be unsafe for students and, therefore, suggest that the definition of a school bus should be revisited. The examples of transit, mini-vans and small buses were mentioned. 
   
• Some representatives for special need students reiterated the existence of specific regulations for regular school buses and adapted buses respectively. However, the hybrid buses (adapted buses) are not regulated. The absence of regulations for these new types of vehicles worries representatives of the safety and medical organizations who claim that regulations should be implemented for this type of buses to better protect special need children.
   

3.6 Crossing Arms

• Participants reached consensus on the benefit of crossing arms to both students and drivers. However, the use of crossing gates as a safety device varies from province to province and participants proposed to make its use mandatory for all provinces.
   
• Some of the benefits associated with the crossing arms include: improved visibility of children when passing in front of the bus; better protection against riding over the children if the bus is hit from the back, and a good training tool for children to learn and create the habit of crossing at least 10 feet from the bus.
   
• Some school board representatives expressed concern regarding the quality of the crossing arms. They are known to have failed in the past and, costs wise, have become difficult to justify since they are not mandatory.
   
• Overall, workshop attendees recommended to revision of the standard to improve the design and the resistance of the crossing arms prior to becoming mandatory.

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3.7 West Coast Mirrors

• Participants reached consensus on the poor quality of the West Coast Mirrors. Many criticisms were made regarding these mirrors, as they create serious blind spots, which can cause accidents. The visibility is affected to the point that some providers coached their drivers to look around the mirrors.
   
• The following changes to the West Coast Mirrors were proposed: install the mirrors below the driver’s sight line; make both the driver’s seat and the mirrors adjustable to clear the driver’s vision; change the standard; retrofit to previous mirror model.

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3.8 Special Need Transportation

• The integration of special need children is becoming increasingly popular. As mentioned in section 3.4, special need children are integrated on to regular/adapted school buses for which no regulations exist (referred to as hybrid buses). Even more problematic for some attendees is the fact that special need children are transported in non-ambulatory vehicles reinforcing the need for regulations for the hybrid buses.
   
• Most attendees recognized the difficulty of regulating adapted vehicles and having no choice but to follow, to some extent, the CSA standard. Representatives for the special need children requested regulations, operations and policy to reflect this reality.
   
• More and more children who ride on buses may require special care due to conditions such as asthma and allergies. Drivers should be made aware of special need children and be provided with sufficient information and training to react appropriately in case of emergency. In general, parents willingly provide medical information to the school. However, it has been proven difficult in some schools.
   
• The group also agreed that individuals with special needs often had unique requirements but believed that more work could be done to develop new standards and to refine existing ones. It was believed that there were lessons to be learned in the US where some of the related work is more advanced and that there was a requirement for further research. On-going consultation with representative groups was a best practice that many wanted to see enhanced.
   
• Finally there were also suggestions for advanced driver training, logistics and planning management and enforcement. Through these related initiatives it was felt that safety could be further enhanced.

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3.9 Perimeter Issues

• One of the breakout groups spent a significant amount of time discussing safety issues related to the area surrounding the bus. Several individuals noted that the number of injuries and fatalities that occurred outside of the bus were approximately four (4) times that experienced by "riding" passengers. As a result there was a general feeling that safety could be increased considerably by focusing on this aspect of bus operations.
   
• While equipment related issues were discussed earlier in this report, it was clear to the group that many equipment enhancements would contribute to increased perimeter safety. Examples of these safety enhancements include eight (8) lamp systems and rear gates.
   
• The discussion also touched on issues such as bus turn-around areas, safe pick-up spots and right side loading. It was noted that many rural areas do not have adequate turn-around areas and that in many board districts bus drivers are prohibited from operating their vehicles on private property. Right side loading was identified as an ideal operating method as it eliminated the need for young passengers to cross the road and keeps them within full driver view at all times. However it was also noted that right side loading was, in most cases, cost prohibitive and caused significant scheduling issues because it essentially doubles the distance traveled.

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3.10 Policy/Standards/Regulations

• There are a number of existing policies, standards and regulations related to bus operations. While there was an appreciation for the need for some flexibility in this area, many believed there would be significant benefits to increasing the consistency of these measures. Currently there are variations in board policies, in accreditation organization standards, both nationally and internationally, and in government regulations. Participants felt that, wherever possible and appropriate, these mechanisms should be harmonized with a view to being consumer driven. This harmonization process should also be undertaken in a way that allowed the industry to be proactive in introducing measures that improved bus passenger safety.

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Appendix A
Agenda
Toronto, Ontario
May 11, 2000

The purpose of the consultation session is to capture the views of the participants on the issue of bus passenger safety, including seat belts in school buses.

More precisely, we seek to understand what are:

• your concerns regarding school bus safety;
• your views on putting seat belts in school buses;
• your suggestions on how you would prioritize these concerns;
• your opinions regarding possible strategies to address these concerns.

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Appendix B
List of Participants
ONTARIO SCHOOL BUS PASSENGER SAFETY CONSULTATION
MAY 11, 2000

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Appendix C

Ontario School Bus Safety Consultation
Participants’ Reactions
Toronto, Ontario
May 11, 2000

1. Introduction

This report presents a brief summary of the participants’ reaction to the workshop held in Toronto on May 11, 2000. The facilitators requested that the participants list, on a "recipe card", 3 things they liked about the workshop (or worked well) and 3 things they did not like (or would recommend be improved). This section presents a summary of the comments received.

2. Participants’ Reaction

• Generally, participants thought the workshop was very informative and worthwhile, even for those with a great deal of previous knowledge. The input provided by the students in attendance was especially appreciated. The session was seen as well organized and well facilitated but many suggested that time was too limited. A few commented that more time should have been spent on issues other than seat belts.
   
• Overall, participants felt they benefited from the range of ideas discussed and the diversity of the group. Having a good mix of stakeholders provided an excellent opportunity for everyone to gain insight into the issues faced by a broad section of school bus safety professionals. Many commented on how pleased they were to hear the perspective of the students that attended as well. It was suggested, however, that the Ministry of Education should have been involved to provide input as well as to listen to the discussions. Some added that parent groups or even members of the public should also be included.
   
• Participation was considered to be good as the small size of the discussion groups allowed everyone to provide input. However, some would have preferred staying in one group for the whole session and others would have liked more time to talk with different folks.
   
• Participants remarked that the workshop was well facilitated and that the presenter was both well prepared and knowledgeable of the issues being discussed. The sessions were considered to be well organized and generally well paced. A great deal of relevant information was provided and group discussion and participation were positively encouraged. Some were concerned that it was too little time for such a broad scope of topic and felt somewhat rushed. One suggested that starting earlier might be useful.
   
• With respect to the facility, most were very satisfied with the location but a few found it inaccessible.Two participants reported that the choice of hotel was poor given that the government covered the costs incurred and one of them was concerned about public perception. One government representative felt that the province should have been more involved in the choice of hotel. The room set-up was not perceived as being conducive to interaction among participants. Name tags as well as place cards would have been appreciated. Positive comments were collected on the quality of the lunch.
   
• Attendees agreed that the workshop provided an excellent opportunity to offer important stakeholderperspectives and learn from other groups. A few people suggested that there was too much emphasis on seat belts and not enough on stopping criteria, for example. However most felt that a good range of ideas was raised regarding bus safety issues in general as well as what could be done to make them safer.