Deer Lake -
According to local RCMP, the school bus taken on a joyride Tuesday night by two minors was "not very secure."
Sgt. Jacques Morneau of the Deer Lake detachment said there wasn't extensive damage to the school bus and no real signs of forced entry. He said the keys for the bus were found inside the vehicle.
"They weren't necessarily in the ignition, but I guess they hide them in the bus which is not a good practice. Obviously (drivers) get lenient that way, or complacent," he said.
He said in such a situation, insurance companies would not cover any damage to the school bus.
According to the Department of Education, some school buses are owned and operated by the school district, while others are owned by private operators contracted by the district to provide school bus service.
Morneau said in Tuesday's case the bus was owned by a private company, and not the property of Western School District.
The privately owned bus company in the area said it has a protocol its bus drivers must follow at the end of a work day, such as making sure no items or children are left on the bus.
"They park the bus and they take the keys with them. Each driver has a set of keys for their bus. The doors to the school buses lock by key," said a staff-member of the company.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said school districts would have guidelines around securing their own buses when not in use while security for privately owned buses would be at the discretion of the owner.
The school bus in Deer Lake was allegedly stolen by a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old who were both charged with theft of a vehicle. The 17-year-old driver was also charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired. The male blew three times the legal limit for drunk driving.
