Save STC group worried about safety
Advocates say bus service goes ‘above and beyond’ for customers
The provincial government says any private company granted operating authority by the Highway Traffic Board will have to comply with the same rules as the Saskatchewan Transportation Company, but Cindy Hanson and JoAnn Jaffe aren’t satisfied.
“The issue is that STC has established a culture of safety both for its workers and for its passengers. So they’ve been going above and beyond what the regulations would be as established by the Highway Traffic Board and we feel that is something quite important,” Jaffe said.
The University of Regina professors are members of Save STC, which is part of the Stop the Cuts group’s opposition to the Sask. Party’s austerity budget.
STC had affirmative action hiring practices and more than half the members of its board of directors were women, Jaffe said. STC buses had de-escalation equipment to deal with emergencies and there’s no assurance the same will exist for other companies, she said.
A profit-oriented system replacing STC will not give good coverage around the province, Jaffe added.
Hanson predicted more people will be exposed to the dangers of hitchhiking, while others will no longer be able to afford transportation for medical treatments.
All people and private or public companies who operate a vehicle on public highways for the purpose of transporting passengers are required to obtain and comply with the terms and conditions of an operating authority certificate from the Highway Traffic Board, justice ministry spokesman Jordan Jackle noted in an email. All Saskatchewan-based carriers registering vehicles equipped to transport more than 10 people including the driver will be required to obtain a National Safety Code number and are subject to the Carrier Profile and Compliance Review Programs through SGI, he added.
STC buses have equipment to deal with emergencies; there’s no assurance the same will exist for other companies.