Lion electric school buses remain out of service

Many parents across Quebec were left scrambling Monday morning as school bus routes remained cancelled after Lion electric buses were pulled off the road last week. 

Several Montreal-area school boards and service centres announced Sunday evening that their Lion buses would not be ready in time for the morning commute. And they will not be back in service until Tuesday, or even Wednesday in some cases.

Most Lion Electric buses remained in the garage Monday following a vehicle fire last Tuesday.

The Quebec government on Thursday ordered the 1,200 Lion electric school buses operating in the province to undergo inspections as a precautionary measure.

Several children and a driver were inside the bus when it caught fire, but no one was injured.

Lion Electric says in a statement on Monday that, “In light of the technical analysis conducted by LION in collaboration with Transport Canada, and thanks to the cooperation of bus operators, the inspection bulletin shared with their teams has been amended on Sunday. Additional inspection measures have been communicated to them. As the verifications are carried out and vehicle compliance is confirmed, buses will progressively and safely return to the road.”

The office of Quebec’s Education Minister, Sonia Lebel, adds that, “No compromises will be made to ensure student safety, and transport providers are aware of the procedures for resuming their services.”

They explain that as planned, the preventive inspection of buses by carriers took place throughout the weekend. “Lion engineers had submitted a preventive inspection procedure to carriers to ensure the safety of buses. Transport Canada is the government agency responsible for the inspection procedure for Lion vehicles. School transport operators must now comply with this procedure. If checks are still necessary or have not been fully completed, alternatives will be communicated to parents by the [school service centers – known as CSS]. The CSS will rely on bus loans and route changes, as well as carpooling and public transportation. School daycare hours may be extended to allow parents to make arrangements.”

In addition to the inspection conducted this weekend at the manufacturer’s request, school bus fleet owners with electric Lion vehicles received a second notice from Lion Sunday evening, requiring them to carry out further work and postpone the vehicles’ release.

“The operators were asked to re-inspect a complete area, the one that had been started on Friday, and then replace the parts associated with that area,” explained Chantale Dugas, President and CEO of the Fédération des transporteurs par autobus (FTA). “These parts are available, and people have started working. Obviously, 1,200 more buses need to be overhauled. So, we’re redoing our homework and making additional adjustments to what’s been done,” she explained.

Some carriers have fleets with fewer electric buses and can use diesel-powered vehicles. “It depends on each carrier and the school service centers they serve,” said Dugas.

These buses could be back in service as early as Tuesday, but probably not all of them, she added. “We’re working hard. Some have said that tonight (Monday) should be fine. But the carrier that has 150 Lion buses to service, it’s sure that in their case, it could take longer.”

Transport Canada says Lion Electric has been actively collaborating with them and multiple parties, with the goal of mitigating any potential risks and addressing concerns as quickly as possible. “They have proactively kept Transport Canada informed throughout the process, while expediting their review of the issue to ensure that all vehicles can safely return to the roads.”

“Transport Canada is observing the inspection process of the LionC buses, to support the ongoing defect investigation. Operators are ultimately responsible to complete this inspection process. Transport Canada’s defect investigation related to the September 9 incident in Montreal and other incidents involving LionC buses remains ongoing.”

School boards advising parents of transportation changes

Riverside School Board on Montreal’s South Shore telling parents on Monday that for afternoon transportation, arrangements wee made for three replacement buses: 583-St-Lawrence; 585-St-Lawrence; 343-Heritage.

“Please note that these are temporary replacement buses for today only, and they may not be in service tomorrow. We will keep you updated,” they wrote in a social media post.

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) says that only minibuses were back on the road Monday morning, and that 79 of the big electric buses were still out of service.

“Busing companies are inspecting the big buses today. When they finish the inspection, they will be put back on the road. We will know later in the day which buses were inspected and can go back on the road,” explained EMSB in an email.

The Montreal School Service Centre (CSSDM) announced Sunday in a message on its website that “the disruption to school transportation service will continue until further notice.”

“Our carriers have completed the prescribed inspection procedure for their electric buses. Work is underway and must be finalized for some buses before they return to service,” it stated.

A similar message, listing the affected transportation routes, was published that evening on the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Service Centre website.

“We ask families affected by this temporary shutdown, beyond our control, to plan alternative transportation for their children,” the school board emphasized.

The Pointe-de-l’Île School Service Centre noted that parents of affected students have received an email and that a notification will be sent to the mTransport app.

For the Grandes-Seigneuries School Service Center (CSSDGS) on Montreal’s South Shore, they are advising that about thirty buses will stay out of service.

“All school bus inspections have been completed. However, despite this work, some vehicles remain immobilized and will not be able to return to the road tomorrow, Monday, September 15,” the CSSDGS wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.

The CSSDGS said that 35 buses could remain out of service tomorrow, compared to nearly 60 last Friday.

“A text message will be sent today to parents whose child is affected by a service disruption,” they explained in the post. “If you don’t receive a text message by 6 p.m., it means your child’s transportation will be provided Monday morning.”

On its homepage, the Lester B. Pearson School Board stated that “Lion electric school buses operated by various transportation providers will not be in service on Monday, September 15 due to ongoing safety inspections.”

Other school service centres in the province, however, have announced that school transportation will resume Monday.

The Centre de service scolaire des Navigateurs (CSSDN) in the Quebec City region announced that their school transportation will operate normally on Monday.

Confirming that “three compliant vehicles will provide service on Monday, September 15, on the routes suspended on Friday.”

The Chemin-du-Roy School Services Centre in Trois-Rivières shared the same sentiment, stating in a Facebook post that “the carriers confirm they have completed the inspection procedure prescribed by Lion and that their electric buses will be in service.”

Transport Canada had also confirmed it is investigating two other fires and a thermal incident involving LionC school buses since late 2024.

Lion Electric manufactures its electric school buses in Saint-Jérôme and says it remains committed to “rigour and collaboration” to ensure safe transportation for students.

—With files from The Canadian Press, first published in French and translated by CityNews