Stock Transportation’s top brass are testifying before Nova Scotia’s Utility and Review Board this week to defend its practices.
The hearing is being held to determine whether any terms or conditions will be placed on Nova Scotia’s largest school bus provider.
Stock Transportation’s charter licence was pulled in November after a scathing report found eight breaches of licenses, regulations and the law. In one instance, the regulator found that bus drivers were told to falsify logs in order to drive more hours.
While testifying Monday, senior officials placed the blame on the company’s former regional manager, Troy Phinney.
Terri Lowe, the chief operating officer of Stock Transportation, said no one knew about some of the issues until Phinney left the company.
Lowe told the UARB they’ve taken steps to ensure that all bus drivers know about the company's whistleblower policy.
“I think what was lacking not just in Nova Scotia but in Canada in general was overall knowledge of this 800 number and what it meant to the employees,” Lowe said.
But there have only been two calls to that number from Nova Scotia ever.
The issues in the UARB report have attracted attention, with the new regional manager says she's spending three to four days a week in Dartmouth.
“It was really mind blowing because these were not new things that we were measuring as an organization,” said Crystal Truax, regional manager of Stock Eastern Canada.
The hearing continues Tuesday and Wednesday.
Stock Transportation is the school bus operator for the Halifax Regional School Board, the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial, and some schools in the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Sarah Ritchie.
