FAQ

You must have a class 2 driver’s license. To find out the conditions for issuing a class 2 license, contact the SAAQ. To quickly access a class 2, you can also take a 20-hour training course in a school transport company authorized by the SAAQ. You must have completed or you must commit to taking a 15-hour training course, offered by accredited transportation training centers, to obtain a compulsory certificate for school bus drivers. This training includes notions on the role and responsibilities inherent in driving a school bus, on relations with passengers, on problem solving skills and on the Highway Safety Code. This certificate grants you the right to drive a school bus or minibus with passengers under the age of 18. Finally, you must show that you have no criminal record related to the profession of a school bus driver.

Unlike automobiles, the use of a bench seat compartmentalization system has been favored in the design and manufacture of school buses. This system further protects schoolchildren in this type of vehicle as follows:
– high-back seats;
– energy-absorbing padded and deformable seats;
– seats close together creating compartments;
– seats with strong anchorages.
Studies have shown that a poorly fastened and poorly adjusted seat belt can cause serious injuries to the abdomen, head and neck. For a seat belt to be effective, it must be worn correctly and adjusted with each use, which would require constant monitoring.
Since school buses carry two to three passengers per bench, depending on their size so that they are fully seated on the bench while clearing the central aisle, the number of seat belts to install for each bench would become problematic.

Their size corresponds to an object that a child is able to hold in their lap (maximum size suggested: 23 x 40 x 55 cm or 9 x 15.7 x 21.6 in)
– The bags, handbags and lunch boxes must be made of canvas, vinyl, leather or any other soft material that has no sharp edges.
– Bags must be on the floor at the student’s feet, on their knees or next to them during transport (never in the aisle).
– Sharp objects (blade runners), rolling objects must be in a closed hand baggage.
– Long or oversized items (scooters, hockey accessories, snowshoes, large musical instruments, skis, ski poles, baseball bats, snowboards, sleds, craft supplies, etc.) must be in the cargo hold in luggage or solid and closed container inside the bus.
– Any other object that cannot be placed in the container or the hold should be transported in another vehicle.

School boards
Although funding for evening and morning school transportation is the responsibility of the Quebec Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sport, it is the school boards, through their transportation service. , who are responsible for organizing school transport on their territory. The school boards determine, among other things, the conditions of access to school transportation, the routes, the arrival and departure times of the buses, the stopping points for getting on and off the bus, the number of students boarding a school bus. School boards also adopt policies and administrative rules relating to school transportation and determine the conditions under which school carriers perform their contracts. These measures, which often have an impact on the safety of schoolchildren being transported, are generally available on the website of each of the school boards.

Regulations require school carriers to perform a minimum of four inspections per year on each of the buses that make up the company’s fleet. However, nothing prevents the carrier from carrying out additional preventive inspections or maintenance. On the other hand, Contrôle Route Québec grants itself the power to carry out random inspections on school buses, whether on the road or in the workplace.

– I go to the bus stop in advance to avoid running.
– I wait in line for the bus without jostling the others.
– I wait until the bus is stopped before approaching it.
– I get on the bus in a row and hold the handrail.
– I walk to my seat and sit down immediately.
– I leave the aisle free of all objects.
– I avoid distracting the driver.
– I leave my items in my bag.
– I keep them arms and head inside the bus at all times.
– I do not throw any objects or food out the window or on the floor of the bus.
– I remain seated throughout along the way, until the bus has come to a complete stop.
– I walk away from the bus as soon as I get off and stay away from the wheels.
– I count ten steps out of the bus before crossing in front.
– I make sure the driver has seen me before crossing the street and the bus.
– I look left, right and left again before crossing the street.
– I wait for instructions from the driver when I drop an object under the bus. If it is impossible to speak to them, I wait until the bus has moved away before picking up the object.
– I never go behind the school bus.

The answer is YES, as long as ALL regulatory requirements are met. Technically, a bus with 12 rows of benches could seat three schoolchildren per benches for a total of 72 passengers … but! And the but is very important in terms of safety and compliance with regulations affecting school transport.
In a very short way, we can say:
– There cannot be more than 3 passengers per bench (therefore, there can be 3).
– However, one cannot carry more schoolchildren than there are places available on a seat to sit them and all the schoolchildren must be seated of safely (all passengers must be fully seated on the bench seat, seat and back included). Therefore, teenagers are sometimes quite burly, it is rare that they can be seated properly with 3 per bench. Most school boards have adopted a policy of 2 per bench, so a possible total of 48 high school children.
– On the other hand, the central aisle must be free of all objects … (no legs bags are not allowed in the aisle). As soon as one or the other of these 3 requirements is not met, the driver is found in violation and is likely to be issued with a significant fine and this, even if it is not him who determines the number. passengers having to board (it is the school board that determines the circuits and the number of students who can board).

We make every effort to ensure that your luggage is handled with care. We recommend that you keep your valuables, important documents and money with you. Please also ensure that your belongings are securely packed and, if necessary, placed in a hard case.
However, please note that liability for damage to or loss of baggage is limited. This liability limit is set at $ 100 per passenger. Ideal Bus assumes no responsibility for items of value or items the loss of which can cause significant damage, including:
money, jewelry, silverware, marketable securities, securities, computers, cameras, cell phones , business documents, samples, paintings, antiques, artifacts, manuscripts, prescription drugs or irreplaceable books or publications.
A claim for lost baggage must be accompanied by purchase receipts for the items included in the said claim. lost baggage.