Sooke School District has four new buses coming to its fleet.

The SD62 board of education voted unanimously last week to spend $684,772 on the new vehicles, which will bring the total number of buses in the fleet to 38.

B次元官网网址淪tudent population for ridership has definitely impacted the busing services,B次元官网网址� said Trustee Denise Riley, B次元官网网址渟o we have to have additional buses to service all the students in the district.B次元官网网址�

Three of the four will be servicing the West Shore, with the fourth to be used on runs in the Sooke area. There are a total of 29 routes throughout the district, separated into the Belmont (including Royal Bay) and the Sooke zones.

The extra buses will give the district a larger reserve of vehicles from which to draw for to-and-from school transportation and field trips.

B次元官网网址淲e had four or five additional buses (available) to do field trips during the day,B次元官网网址� said district secretary-treasurer Harold Cull, adding that mechanical breakdowns or other emergencies could sometimes leave just one extra bus. B次元官网网址�(That) is too few buses to be able to have a reserve.B次元官网网址�

The new 84-seat, rear-engine buses are expected to arrive prior to March 31 and are being paid for by the Ministry of Education.

alim@goldstreamgazette.com