Alberta government changes training requirements for school bus drivers | 24CA News
The Alberta authorities is eradicating one layer of coaching for varsity bus drivers within the province, a transfer that it says will carry the province in step with the remainder of Canada and assist tackle shortages within the sector.
Aspiring college bus drivers presently need to take necessary entry degree coaching (MELT) to get their Class 2 licence, which is required to drive sure college buses in Alberta.
“Alberta is an outlier on requiring MELT for Class 2 licences, as no other province or territory in Canada requires it for their bus drivers,” mentioned transportation minister Devin Dreeshen.
“Removing this requirement will make it easier for Albertans to obtain their Class 2 licence if they are able to demonstrate the required knowledge and skills during the knowledge and road test.”
The province mentioned drivers should nonetheless get hold of an endorsement on their licence with the intention to drive a faculty bus that reveals they’ve been educated in loading passengers, defensive driving, emergencies and different areas.
There can even be voluntary on-the-job coaching for drivers to make sure they’ve the talents wanted to function a bus safely, mentioned the province.
The change will go into impact April 23.
School boards and oldsters have been elevating crimson flags about bus driver shortages for at the very least a number of years.
As of December, the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) mentioned 34 out of 603 college bus routes didn’t have a regularly-assigned driver and the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) mentioned 10 to 12 of 235 bus routes didn’t have a driver.
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