Suspended buses had defects in brake lines, emergency doors: inspectors

A slew of defects, including problems with brakes and emergency doors, were unveiled in inspections of Kelloway Investments school buses, which were poised to enter service in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Inspection reports provided by Service NL show that six out of the seven Kelloway buses were found to have at least one defect. Of those, three were ordered off the road.

• Safety concerns pull buses from 22 N.L. schools

Four of the seven buses had issues with either brake lines or brake fluid, according to inspectors, who looked at the buses on Jan. 10 and Jan. 13.

Another two had problems with the rear emergency exit — one bus needed lubrication to the rear emergency door, while another bus needed repairs to the door's latch.

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District (NLESD) suspended the operations of all of Kelloway Investments's buses, citing safety concerns. As a result, 3,500 students split between 22 schools were forced to find alternate transportation.

• High school midterms delayed as NLESD suspends bus company with a history

According to Gina MacArthur, a spokesperson for Service NL, the NLESD requested that Service NL perform the inspections.

Brake fluid too low to test

A spokesperson for the NLESD said the inspections were requested after the company submitted a bid for busing services with the school board. 

"As part of the bid the buses were proposed to be put into service, if successful," Ken Morrisey wrote in an email.

When examining one vehicle, an International IC manufactured in 2005, inspectors found the brake line was leaking at the rear of the vehicle, the seal of the emergency exit window needed repair, the latch of the emergency door needed fixing, the brake lines were corroded, the rear bumper was pushed in and the brake fluid was low — so low, that inspectors did not even perform a brake test.

Of the seven vehicles inspected, the newest was built 11 years ago, in January 2006.

Three of the buses had been driven for more than 200,000 kilometres, according to odometer readings, including a 2006 Bluebird school bus which had upwards of 260,000 kilometres.

A representative from Kelloway Investments declined interview requests.

Read the full inspection reports below.

NLESD filed $246K lawsuit against company

Meanwhile, CBC News has learned that the NLESD and Kelloway Investments have also been in conflict over busing tenders.

In August, the school board filed a $246,000 lawsuit against the company.

In court documents, the NLESD alleges that Kelloway Investments submitted the lowest compliant bid in response to 24 tenders for transportation services.

But the company "refused to enter into contracts for nine of the tenders."

The schools involved were:

• Gonzaga Regional High in St. John's;
• Holy Cross Elementary in Holyrood;
• Holy Trinity Elementary in Torbay;
• Holy Trinity High in Torbay;
• Larkall Academy in St. John's;
• St. Matthew's Elementary in St. John's;
• MacDonald Drive Elementary in St. John's;
• Mary Queen of Peace Elementary in St. John's;
• Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John's;

In court filings, the NLESD says the company was notified that the board "has the right to claim against the defendant for the increased cost of the transportation services performed by one or more alternate contractors."

The board says it went to the next lowest bidder in those nine cases, at an increased cost of more than $246,000 over two years.

None of those allegations have been tested in court.

Kelloway Investments had yet to file a statement of defence by Thursday afternoon.

A company source told CBC News that the company could not fill the contract because there are only two Canadian manufacturers and there were no buses available for them to buy.

The source added that a statement of defence will be filed at Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court on Friday.