Auditor General Paul Martin tabled a report on June 4 in the legislative assembly that includes an audit of pupil transportation.
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development establishes policies and guidelines for pupil transportation, and Martin concluded the department lacks oversight to ensure compliance with key requirements.
The audit found several instances of non-compliance with legislation and policy.
"Of utmost concern to us, is that despite our office's extensive audit of pupil transportation in 2001, several gaps in levels of compliance remain," said Martin. "We see little improvement in the area of departmental monitoring and oversight."
These gaps include drivers not meeting appropriate licensing and training requirements and the department failing to ensure compliance with vehicle maintenance schedules.
Martin said the key areas of concern related to insufficient evidence of required licensing for bus drivers, criminal record checks, driver training and bus maintenance. The audit noted 63 buses with overdue motor vehicle inspections.
The audit also found that few strategies were in place to recruit and retain bus drivers.
The auditor general made a total of 12 recommendations to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The report is available online.
