Buses remain out of service Tuesday, critics say Quebec should revisit electrification plan

The abrupt withdrawal of 1,200 Lion electric school buses from the roads in Quebec is prompting renewed criticism of the provincial government’s approach to electrification — and of its decision to give one local company a virtual monopoly.

Many school bus routes in Quebec remained cancelled Monday and Tuesday — see list of cancellations below– following the government’s decision to pull all Lion buses out of service after a bus in Montreal caught fire last week.

Lion has sent instructions to school bus operators for the required inspections and repairs, apparently related to possible wiring issues. Three Lion buses have caught fire in the last year, though nobody has been injured and the buses’ batteries were not involved.

Valérie Tremblay, co-coordinator of the Canadian Electric School Bus Alliance, said the fires will “clearly discourage” school bus operators from switching to electric vehicles, both for their own interests and because school boards and parents may have concerns.

She’s hoping the issue will push the Quebec government to revise the criteria for its electric school bus subsidies, which until now have ensured that the majority of electric buses sold in the province are made by Lion.

“Perhaps … allowing other manufacturers to sell their vehicles in Quebec will give the transition a second wind,” she said.

In 2021, Quebec mandated that all new school buses purchased in the province be electric as part of a goal to electrify 65 per cent of its bus fleet by 2030. But the subsidies it offers to bus operators to buy electric vehicles require that the buses be assembled in Canada, meaning that Lion is the main beneficiary of the program.

The province was trying to support a local company, Tremblay said, since Lion is headquartered in St.-Jérôme, Que. “I think it was really a matter of political will,” she said.

But she believes Quebec should now make it easier for operators to purchase buses from elsewhere, given the string of negative headlines about Lion in recent months. After seeking protection from its creditors in December, the struggling manufacturer was acquired by a group of Quebec investors this spring.

In May, amid Lion’s financial woes, the Quebec government scrapped its requirement that all school bus purchases be electric. Andrew Jones, a Montreal-area school bus operator, said he has since cancelled orders for 20 new Lion buses, and has ordered diesel buses instead.

He said the eight Lion buses he already owns are unreliable, in part because when they break down, it can take weeks to get the necessary parts or technicians from Lion. “We’re subject to waiting on them 100 per cent of the time,” he said.

Jones also pointed out that the Quebec government has reduced annual financial support for operating the electric buses from $12,900 to $5,000 per vehicle. “That makes a huge difference for an operator,” he said.

In a statement Monday, the Quebec federation of bus operators said the withdrawal of the Lion buses is the latest in a “chaotic sequence of events” that began with the government’s 2021 mandate.

“For months, we have been warning the government of the consequences of this rushed electrification,” said president Chantale Dugas. “Our carriers are at their wits’ end in the face of constant reversals and a climate of instability.”

Dugas said Tuesday that about 50 per cent of Lion buses are back in service in Quebec. The operation should be mostly complete by Wednesday evening, she added.

School boards advising parents of transportation changes

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) said in a Facebook post on Monday evening that they were informed that Autobus Séguin’s three electric buses have been authorized to operate Tuesday: Bus 501, 508 and 511.

“Once again, all Transco buses remain under inspection and are awaiting authorization,” they added.

Riverside School Board on Montreal’s South Shore telling parents on Tuesday that some buses will be running.

“A partial list of affected buses is now available on our website,” they said.

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.”

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

“Several circuits remain affected in our territory,” they wrote.

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 affected buses will gradually return to the road in the coming days based on the results of inspections and the required interventions.

“Carriers are conducting the second inspection ordered,” they said in a Facebook post on Monday night. “If any adjustments are made, you will be promptly notified by text message.”

As for the Lester B. Pearson School Board, they also listed the busses that remain out of service on Tuesday in a social media post.

“If your child is assigned to one of these busses, please make alternate transportation arrangements to ensure they can get to and from school safely,” they wrote.

“Please note the LBPSB will offer SEED daycare services whereby parents of elementary bus users can drop them off early and pick them up later in the day should they need to do so.”

—With files from The Canadian Press