Late last week, the Westlock News received an anonymous e-mail complaining about Pembina Hills’ practice of allowing bus drivers to decide whether it’s safe to travel their routes during inclement weather.
The individual argued in favour of system-wide shutdowns like those practiced in the nearby Aspen View Public Schools division and argued it was dangerous to leave this decision in the hands of bus drivers.
The News followed up on that complaint, and you can read the article that eventually spun out of it on Page 5A. Although Pembina Hills’ affairs are sort of my wheelhouse, I personally had no interest in following it up.
You see, I’ve been through this song and dance before when the temperatures have dropped below -30C and parents complained that the buses ran.
Likewise, I’ve heard complaints when the buses did not run, and the parents who counted on sending their kids to school now had to arrange for childcare.
It’s one of those topics where you can be assured someone will be unhappy regardless of what was done.
But more to the point, I honestly don’t see what the big deal is in letting bus drivers decide whether or not it’s safe to travel.
Inexperienced or not, how are they less qualified to make that decision than the division’s director of transportation sitting at regional office? Are they not familiar with their roads and the buses they drive day-in, day-out?
“But wait,” the anonymous e-mail argues, “they get paid when they drive, so it’s a conflict of interest.”
Really? Do you think the pittance that bus drivers earn is enough for them to risk their lives and the lives of their passengers by driving in adverse weather? I doubt it.
Pembina Hills will also point out that the sheer size of the division means that some areas may experience better weather than others, and I think there’s some truth to that. I’ve seen cold shut down most of the division except for Swan Hills.
I always come back to the fact that parents are the ultimate arbiter ofww whether their kids should be travelling on a school bus. Just because they’re running doesn’t mean you have to send them to school, although some might feel some pressure to do so.
In short, I’m not inclined to rock the boat on this issue. But the e-mail also argues that many parents and even drivers feel the system should change. If that’s the case, then local parents need to show some initiative. Go to your local school council meeting and complain, write a letter to the editor, set up a petition online or make a presentation alone.
Just do something beyond voicing a few complaints on Facebook.
