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By Kenneth Cheung

bus cancellations

Why school buses don’t run in extreme cold

Jan 20, 2025 | 4:22 PM

An extreme cold warning from Environment Canada prompted school bus cancellations across Saskatchewan Monday morning including Prince Albert and the Battlefords, Saskatoon and Regina. While it’s a bit of a last minute hassle for parents, a transportation manager for one of the school divisions said it comes down to policy and public safety.

“If the temperature is at -40 C, the bus runs will be cancelled, and if it’s -35 with a wind chill of -45, bus routes will [also] be cancelled,” said Ryan Bruce, who oversees the school bus service for Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division in the Prince Albert area.

Other school divisions have similar policies when it comes to extreme cold or storms.

“We live in an area where we [have] a lack of hurricanes, flooding, and poisonous spiders, but the unfortunate part is that we get this cold weather as a trade-off,” he joked.

Since they’re heavily regulated, school buses are among the safest vehicles on the road. Unfortunately, the extreme cold can make it difficult for the diesel they run on to flow through the lines which could then affect the engine’s performance.

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Bruce said the buses are a lot bigger with a lot more electronic wiring than other vehicles and the colder it gets, the tougher it is on them. Plus, many of the buses in the rural areas are driving on some of the toughest gravel roads in the province.

“Sometimes, especially in the colder weather, many false positives will pop up on those sensors, which will cause some of our buses to slow down to the point that you can’t drive them past 18 kilometres an hour,” he explained.

He also said it is always important to consider what students will be subjected to should the bus have mechanical problems and have to be evacuated.

“It’s best for them not to be running in extreme cold,” he said.

If the worst comes to worst and buses do break down in the middle of the road, he said they will make arrangements to get help to them as soon as possible.

“That might mean rerouting another bus in the area or sending someone from our office facility here in Prince Albert to go and help them out,” he said. “Basically what most people would do for their vehicles if they need help.”

Bruce mentioned that, on average, they experience around three to 12 service cancellations each winter.

In addition to keeping an eye on Environment Canada’s updates, he often relies on The Weather Network for information about most rural areas. A decision to cancel bus routes is usually made in the morning by 6: 30 a.m. and at noon if weather conditions deteriorate during the day. Bruce suggested parents sign up for their school division’s bus cancellation notification system to stay updated on any changes.

Despite the extreme cold warming on Monday, Environment Canada said the province is set for a 20-degree temperature increase by Tuesday with highs of -3 C in Prince Albert and Meadow Lake. North Battleford and Melfort may reach -4 C, climbing to 0°C by Thursday, when snow is also expected.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com