Starting November 1, busses in Manitoba will need to have working heating systems and some will be required to undergo daily maintenance checks. The Province announced today the new regulations would come into effect at the start of next month.
“Many Manitobans travel by bus for personal, business, educational or medical reasons,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor. “Whether travelling by bus is the only option or their preferred choice, all passengers must be safe and comfortable when travelling during cold weather.”
These new rules are amendments to the Vehicle Equipment, Safety and Inspection Regulation and Commercial Vehicle Trip Inspection Regulation under the Highway Traffic Act. These amendments will require functional passenger heating systems on all buses, detail the methods of inspection to determine the heating system is functional, and add passenger heaters to the list of equipment that must be inspected before the start of a trip.
“For northern bus passengers travelling overnight during the winter, working heaters are a necessity,” said Mayor Colleen Smook, City of Thompson. “They’re a vital piece of safety equipment on highways where communities are hundreds of kilometres apart.”
Minister Naylor also said the regulatory amendments were initiated following concerning reports of incidents of passengers travelling by bus during frigid temperatures without adequate heat.
