By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
Like every other school division in Saskatchewan, the Prairie Spirit School Division (PSSD) has struggled in recent years with the rising cost of transportation, and that includes the cost of school buses themselves.
In a recent interview with 650 CKOM, Saskatchewan School Boards Association president Dr. Shawn Davidson said the price of school buses has increased by 50% in the past five years.
“A 53-passenger bus in 2020 was $120,000; the ones being delivered now are $180,000,” said Davidson, who later added that the cost of new school bus parts has also risen.
The Clark’s Crossing Gazette reached out to PSSD to find out if the division’s experience had been in line with this figure.
The response was a definitive “yes.” A PSSD spokesperson confirmed the cost of Prairie Spirit’s buses has risen 50% in recent years.
The spokesperson said Prairie Spirit has 143 regular bus routes and a total of 185 buses in total, ranging from smaller 24-passenger buses to the large 83-passenger buses.
“Buses are needed for special charter trips for field trips and to accommodate repairs and maintenance on the regular route fleet. All Prairie Spirit buses are repaired and maintained by division mechanics,” the spokesperson stated.
When replacement buses are needed, they are purchased through a request for proposals (RFP) process that includes postings on SaskTenders. There are three bus vendors in Saskatchewan, though school buses are manufactured in the U.S.
“In order to operate a safe and reliable bus service, new buses should be purchased on a regular schedule,” the spokesperson stated.
Incidentally, the 2026-2027 budget will include bus replacements, though the number of buses will be determined once the budget is finalized and approved, at which point an RFP will be issued.
On a related subject, Prairie Spirit has received provincial approval to sell its current bus garage in the Brighton area of Saskatoon and purchase a new facility for the Transportation Department.
The PSSD spokesperson indicated in an e-mail that the division was looking to relocate the bus garage due to the growth in the Brighton area.
Now that they have Ministerial approval, the division is actively looking for a new facility. However, despite getting the go-ahead from the province, the division will be funding this move on its own, as the Ministry does not provide money to school jurisdictions for non-school facilities.