‘Parents should have been advised much sooner’: Montrealers on sudden school bus disruptions 

The decision to remove 1,200 Lion Electric buses from service after a fire broke out in Montreal earlier this week has sparked widespread reaction among Quebec parents, who on Friday morning were grappling with the unexpected disruptions to their children’s daily routines.

Without the over 1,000 school busses on the road this morning, parents were forced to make alternative arrangements, with little time to prepare.

“We had to walk to school today,” said Caroline Namwera, parent of two children attending Hampstead Elementary. “It was a little bit inconvenient, but it’s okay, we could walk.”

Some parents voiced their concerns online, understanding the need for the safety inspection but questioning the timing of the situation, saying, “I know it’s not your fault, but a little late to make arrangements.”

Another writing, “This could have been posted and sent out earlier!! Not everyone will see it at 9:45 p.m. for pick-ups at 7 a.m. Good call to make, but parents should have been advised much sooner to be able to make arrangements!!!”

Others were more understanding, “Better safe than sorry, in my opinion. Safety first!”

“Good call to make, but letting families know at 9:45 p.m. not acceptable.”

“Most of the parents have their vehicle but some like us we don’t have that and we don’t have any other person who come,” explained Shweta Raina, who has a child attending kindergarten at Hampstead Elementary. “We have to go for work and firstly we have to drop our kids to school.”

“So it is a bit inconvenient,” she added. “They are doing a great job and our kids are safe.”

Parents are also questioning if the electric bus fleet is ready to meet the daily demands of school transportation.

“It’s okay until and unless our kids are safe, it doesn’t matter it will be electric or diesel,” said Raina. “They know their work best, but I guess until our kids are safe.”

“We are like very much concerned about the incident and also like safety for our kids,” added Senthil Kumar, a parent of three children at Hampstead Elementary. “Should ensure like this incident might not like happen again and also like ensure the safety for not only my kid for all the kids who are coming in the school bus of this community.”

Kumar explained that he received the information about the sudden school bus disruptions around 9:30 p.m. last night, personally giving him time to plan their Friday morning.

“We were able to plan our next day like accordingly,” he said. “We need to walk to the school from home, so it took us some more time to reach the school.”

“It wasn’t really so bad because it’s for the good of our kids,” added Namwera. “So it’s okay if they are servicing or whatever they are doing with the buses so that our kids will be more safe.”

“Since they are figuring it out, I know they will come out with the best solution,” she said. “Because the kids’ safety comes first.”