Manitoba PCs Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Student Safety on School Buses
WINNIPEG — Progressive Conservatives have introduced new legislation that will enhance student safety while riding on school buses in Manitoba. Bill 220, The School Bus Seat Belt Safety Act, brings in new safety requirements that will ensure that all newly-manufactured school buses are equipped with modern, three-point seat belts and that schools adopt clear policies for their use.
“This helps protect students by reducing the risk of injury in crashes or sudden stops,” said Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko, PC Critic for Education, who introduced the legislation. “These new measures will encourage safe behaviour by promoting consistent seat belt use, updating buses to meet modern safety standards, and hold schools accountable for following the rules, thereby creating a safer environment for children on their way to and from school.”
Under Bill 220, any school bus that is manufactured after 2025 and used to transport students at public or independent schools must have three-point passenger seat belts (lap and shoulder belts). School divisions and independent schools would be mandated to create and enforce a seat belt use policy for students on buses equipped with seat belts, including progressive disciplinary measures for students who do not follow the seat belt rules.
Ewasko also introduced Bill 221, which amends The Highway Traffic Act to increase fines for drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus. This legislation will create higher fines when a person is convicted multiple times of passing a school bus that is stopped for students entering or exiting the bus.
- First offence: Up to $2,500
- Second offence: Up to $5,000
- Third or subsequent offence: Up to $7,500
Bill 221 helps protect children by addressing one of the most dangerous driving violations—passing a stopped school bus. Increasing fines for repeat offenders encourages drivers to obey the rules, keeps students safe when boarding and exiting buses, holds unsafe drivers accountable, and promotes safer roads for all communities.
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For media inquiries, please contact PCCaucus_Media@leg.gov.mb.ca