Matt Wiebe with First Student Canada speaks to Prince Albert CIty Council March 4, 2019. (Charlene Tebbutt/paNOW Staff)

By Charlene Tebbutt

city transit

Local bus company seeks money to repair “lemons”

Mar 5, 2019 | 8:15 AM

A local company is accusing Prince Albert City Council of buying lemons and is asking for help to cover the costs of continued repairs to the public transit buses.

Representatives with First Student spoke at a city council executive committee meeting Monday night. Matt Wiebe, area general manager with First Student Canada told councillors the company has had to replace tires, batteries, rear brakes, and alternators since the buses were purchased by the city just one year ago. The fibreglass rooftops of each bus appear to be cracking now as well, he said, and costs are adding up.

“These are just lemons,” Matt Wiebe, First Student.

Wiebe said First Student would like to reach an agreement with the city to recoup some of the costs, before turning to other options, such as a contract clause that allows First Student to terminate its agreement with the city upon 12 months’ notice. The company has shelled out more than $100,000 for maintenance over the past year, Wiebe said, adding that a single tire costs $507.

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“These are just lemons,” Wiebe told councillors Monday night. “It’s not so much the service hours, it’s the cost of all the parts. The way we’re operating right now, we can’t continue.”

The current contract with the city stipulates that First Student is responsible for repairs and maintenance to the transit fleet. Wiebe said First Student recommended the city purchase buses from a different supplier.

City Councillors questioned Wiebe about the number of mechanics with First Student and their level of experience in repairing public transit buses. As the bidding process to maintain the buses was public, councillors asked why First Student wasn’t more aware of the maintenance costs for a busy city transit fleet.

Wiebe told council the bidding was done by a previous manager who no longer works with company. At the time, the company estimated just under $2,000 in annual maintenance costs per bus, Wiebe said, although he acknowledged that number seemed low.

First Student has three mechanics on staff, Wiebe added, and sends in each work order for repairs or maintenance to the city. City staff said Monday night that some of those work orders were submitted in the fall with several more months’ worth coming in February.

Council is “making it sound like we came in with a low bid, just to come in here a year later and get more money out of them, that’s not how we do business,” Wiebe said after the meeting.

Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick said the company should have done more research into the costs before signing on.

“You bid on something and you’re admitting it here that you didn’t know what you’re bidding on,” Ogrodnick said. “You should know what you’re bidding on.”

Ward 7 Coun. Dennis Nowoselsky said a budget of $2,000 per year for a transit bus is too low, adding that he budgets that amount each year just for maintenance of his own personal vehicle. With no clause in the current contract for the city to return the buses if they aren’t meeting expections, Nowoselsky said that should have been looked at before the city agreed to buy the vehicles.

Wiebe said another community sent the same buses back to the manufacturer after they performed poorly.

“I guess we learned a lesson,” Nowoselsky said.

Mayor Greg Dionne said he wants to look into the issue further, but the low bid was First Student’s error.

“It’s all in how you service it,” he said. “They can deal with it … to me, we’re more than satisfied and we’re going to continue on.”

There was no decision from city councillors on the issue Monday night. Wiebe said he’s hoping to hear some good news soon.

“I broke off union negotiations with my drivers because I can’t offer them any increase because we’re losing money right now,” he added.

Prince Albert is the only Saskatchewan community in which First Student operates. The company also handles bussing for the Prince Albert Catholic school division.

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charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt