Gas versus diesel is a question the Living Sky School Division transportation department has been pondering and gas appears to have the edge.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Living Sky School Division board of education, Transportation Manager Colin Westgard said problems with the mandatory system that mitigates noxious fumes emitted by diesel-fueled vehicles is one of the reasons moving toward gas has been recommended.
In his report, Westgard said the lower cost and making sure there are enough buses to cover extracurricular trips and the need for spares are also reasons to look at the smaller gas buses. But most of the discussion centred on the emissions issues affecting the reliability of diesel buses.
Assistant Transportation Manager Brian Rotsey said the emission control systems on the buses available to Canada are not designed to deal with the kind of cold weather Living Sky School Division experiences. Canada is too small a market for the buses’ American manufacturers to address the problems, he said.
The problem is the legal requirement for the modern diesel buses to carry a tank containing DEF (diesel exhaust fluid), which is injected into the exhaust stream to reduce harmful emissions. DEF can’t be allowed to freeze or run low or the sensors built into the system can cause the vehicles power to “de-rate.” While the vehicle can idle, the programming of the system can slow the vehicle or prevent it from operating.
The plumbing and electrical systems underneath the vehicle are exposed to damage as well, Rotsey said.
As a result, said Rotsey, diesel school buses are not as reliable as they once were. Other school divisions in Canada are finding the same and many are changing to gas buses.
Other challenges faced by the transportation department this year included an increase in the number of urban students, the moving of Grade 7 and 8 students to North Battleford Comprehensive High School, multiple bus drivers off for medical reasons and the dropping value of the Canadian dollar.
The low dollar has increased the cost of replacing buses, said Westgard, and also increased the cost of parts. With predictions the dollar will drop even further, board members suggested tendering for new buses be done sooner rather than later.
Westgard also said at one time, 10 out of the division’s 66 bus drivers were off for medical reasons. That will continue as drivers get older, he said.
He said his hat was off to Assistant Transportation Manager Wanda le Roux, bus drivers and parents for “some pretty creative juggling” to make sure routes were covered and children got to school.
Positives for the year, said Westgard, have been an increased number of people applying for full and casual bus driving positions, “fuel prices at an unbelievably low” and positive reports from SGI inspections.
Transportation Manager Colin Westgard, Assistant Transportation Managers Wanda le Roux and Brian Rotsey presented a report to Living Sky School Division board of education Wednesday evening. Westgard will be retiring at the end of this school year. Photo by Jayne Foster
