Education and Child Care
Circle the globe 825 times and you will have travelled 33 million kilometres, the distance B.C. school buses travel each year. Through its annual fleet renewal program, government is providing $11 million for 31 school districts around the province to purchase a total of 96 new buses.
This is the third year that the Ministry of Education has worked with the Association of School Transportation Services of B.C. to procure buses using the Standing Offer Pricing model, which achieves the best possible pricing. Previously, school districts negotiated with bus providers individually.
Contractors, Independent schools and First Nations schools also are able to take advantage of this pricing which has resulted in savings of 10 to 15 per cent each year and saves districts significant administrative and staff time.
Over 1,000 buses are owned and operated by school districts with student transportation services costing more than $90 million annually. Districts will receive the new buses in spring 2014.
Quote:
Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education -
"These new buses will provide safe, comfortable transportation for students while lowering operating costs for districts and ensuring that these savings can be directed into classrooms.”
Quick Facts:
- Districts receive buses with wheelchair lifts where required.
- Buses are replaced when they have met or exceeded the following criteria:
- 80 plus passenger buses 15 years or 400,000 km
- 34-76 passenger buses 12 years or 325,000 km
- 20-29 passenger buses 10 years or 250,000 km
Learn More:
- BC’s Education Plan: http://www.bcedplan.ca/
A backgrounder follows.
Media Contact:
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963 (Media line)
BACKGROUNDER
Province invests $11 million for new school buses
The following school districts have received provincial funding to update their fleets.
Southeast Kootenay (SD 5): $416,974
- Three buses
Rocky Mountain (SD 6): $328,431
- Three buses
Kootenay Lake (SD 8): $437,908
- Four buses
Kootenay-Columbia (SD 20): $218,954
- Two buses
Vernon (SD 22): $525,578
· Five buses
Central Okanagan (SD 23): $555,965
- Four buses
Cariboo-Chilcotin (SD 27): $1,061,886
- Ten buses
Quesnel (SD 28): $138,991
- One bus
Chilliwack (SD 33): $250,531
- Two buses
Abbotsford (SD 34): $934,845
- Eight buses
Langley (SD 35): $209,940
- Two buses
Richmond (SD 38): $109,477
- One bus
North Vancouver (SD 44): $100,462
- One bus
Powell River (SD 47): $138,991
- One bus
Sea to Sky (SD 48): $523,367
- Four buses
Boundary (SD 51): $416,974
- Three buses
Okanagan Similkameen (SD 53): $109,477
- One bus
Bulkley Valley (SD 54): $218,954
- Two buses
Peace River South (SD 59): $218,954
- Two buses
Peace River North (SD 60): $863,481
- 8 buses
Sooke (SD 62): $277,982
- Two bus
Gulf Islands (SD 64): $100,462
- One bus
Nanaimo-Ladysmith (SD 68): $138,991
- One bus
Qualicum (SD 69): $143,259
- Two buses
Alberni (SD 70): $138,991
- One bus
Campbell River (SD 72): $330,494
- Three buses
Kamloops/Thompson (SD 73): $985,294
- Nine buses
Gold Trail (SD 74): $218,954
- Two buses
Fraser Cascade (SD 78): $120,554
- One bus
North Okanagan-Shuswap (SD 83): $656,862
- Six buses
Nisga’a (SD 92): $120,554
- One bus
Contact:
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963 (Media line)
