Parked buses and spray paint: school buses caught in crossfire of labour negotiations

School bus companies say they’re being caught in the crossfire of ongoing contract negotiations between road safety (SAAQ) workers and the government, with companies struggling to keep their propane-fueled buses on the road.

Andrew Jones, the owner of a West Island bus company, is painting over the green bumpers on his school buses after one of his drivers was pulled over.

“He had pulled her over because they were no longer going to tolerate the green bumpers, and that a fine would be in the mail, and that I’d better go and spray paint all my green bumpers,” the owner of Autobus Beaconsfield told CTV News.

Until recently, it was normal to see school buses with green bumpers — it means they have propane in the tank, a cleaner option over traditional diesel.

“That way they could alert people in an event of an emergency, what kind of fuel the bus was carrying,” Jones explained. 

There are strict rules for how school buses look, and green bumpers are technically not allowed.

But that rule is rarely enforced, says Jones — until now.

The bumpers have become a tool amid stalled contract negotiations for transport safety officers, who have been without a collective agreement for years.

It’s an “additional pressure” on the government, says Nathalie Rainville, a negotiator for the SAAQ union.

She says they’re not against the bumpers, but want the government to offer higher salaries for workers amid a serious staffing shortage.

“The salaries are too low, so people are going to quit” in favour of other public service jobs like police and correctional services, Rainville said.

Jones said he’s feeling the pinch of a driver shortage too, and having to paint his buses doesn’t make it any easier.

“Everyday it’s a struggle to make sure the kids are picked up and the kids get brought home safely.”