Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities

Comité permanent des transports, de l'infrastructure et des collectivités

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 11, 2019 -

Today, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities presented to the House of Commons a report entitled Bus Passenger Safety.

During its study, the Committee examined the safety features and crashworthiness of buses in Canada. It heard testimony from 14 witnesses and received 8 briefs from stakeholders.

Witness testimony made clear to the Committee that buses in Canada, particularly school buses, are already among the safest modes of transportation. Nevertheless, improvements are always possible. The report contains nine recommendations to the Government of Canada to help improve the safety record of buses, touching on the collection and publication process for research and test data by Transport Canada and the possibility of expanding the mandate of the Transportation Safety Board.

Of particular interest during this study was the question of mandating seat belts on school buses. According to several witnesses, while seat belts do prevent certain types of injuries, they are neither a panacea, nor the only possible solution, to increasing school bus safety. In fact, the Committee heard concerns that the installation of seat belts may make school buses less safe for children. For that reason, and in order to ensure that school buses in Canada continue to provide a safe means of transport for children, the Committee recommends that the Government of Canada continue to support the ongoing work of the Task Force on School Bus Safety and take steps to implement any recommendations that may be made as a result.

The report is available on the Committee’s web page on the Parliament of Canada website. Individuals who do not have access to an electronic version can obtain a copy of the report from the Clerk of the Committee.