Larry Senga knows he has a large responsibility to children in his part of Saskatchewan.
For the past 20 years, Senga has worked for Hertz Northern Bus in Saskatoon ensuring school buses are safe.
He and his staff provide maintenance for more than 200 school buses that travel rural areas west of the city.
“The first cold spell of winter is what we dread because that’s when the little things that weren’t showing up (appear),” he said.
“Like the battery that was working good yesterday, then all of a sudden it’s 40 below and it says, ‘No, I don’t want to get up this morning.’ “
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Buses are brought in for service every 4,000 kilometres. Vehicles must also pass an annual inspection from the provincial insurance company.
“The colder the winter, usually the harder the roads, the bigger the potholes, which means broken springs every spring.”
Senga has also noticed that Saskatchewan’s deteriorating highways are shortening the life of the tires.
“Gravel would probably be better than what we have now,” he said.
But recently he has found that the most wear and tear occurs inside the bus – on the seats.
A certain thickness has to be maintained for cushioning and safety, but with “kids walking on the seats and other stuff, they are flattening.”
The service centre inspects four buses a day – as many as 22 each month.
Despite an increase in the price of parts over the years, Senga said Hertz Northern doesn’t cut any corners.
“Safety is number one,” Senga said.
Safety also comes first for Glen Mason, general manager of the First Bus Centre in Red Deer.
“We jump through incredible hoops to keep buses maintained. We have to have good maintenance in school buses because we can’t afford otherwise.”
Feline passenger
The only unusual experience Senga has encountered was when a bus came in for service from Langham, Sask., and the driver’s barn cat had taken a ride under the hood.
“The cat wouldn’t leave and was hissing at us, but he eventually jumped out and hid in the corner of the garage,” laughed Senga.
“We still got the inspection done.”
He and his staff also made sure that none of the buses were affected by a recent warning from Bendix, an American company that makes an anti-lock brake system. The warning was prompted by reports of a problem with a school bus in San Francisco.
But this isn’t an issue for buses in the prairie provinces.
The Saskatchewan School Trustees Association issued a press release stating, “there weren’t any affected buses sold in Saskatchewan.”
Wayne Lehmann, transportation supervisor for the Brandon School Division, agreed.
“The last information from the department of education said we don’t have (these) brakes in Manitoba.”
Senga has confidence in the buses he inspects.
“I would feel safe if my son rode any of the buses.”
