Claude Champagne knows more than a few things about getting kids safely to school in northern Ontario.
The third-generation bus fleet operator from North Bay – Champagne comments that he “bleeds yellow” – and he will be the Voyago Transdev regional lead servicing the Sudbury area this September. The Sudbury Student Services Consortium recently awarded Voyago 78 existing school busing routes serving local school boards. Voyago intends to keep those drivers that had previously serviced the routes Voyago has been awarded, should they wish to come aboard with the new operator.
Voyago comes with plenty of experience in the transportation market – the company currently carries over 50,000 students each day throughout the province and has been serving the education sector since 1980.
Champagne said, he wants to assure parents – and students – that safety comes first at Voyago Transdev. “We have a mandate to be the safest carrier in the world, even in Sudbury” Champagne said. "Our goal is to integrate into the Sudbury system as seamlessly as possible. By using drivers that have serviced the routes previously, we will rely on the local experts to be able to communicate to us what’s happening on the routes day-to-day.”
That includes an emphasis on bus safety and continuing to rely on local collaboration among the consortia and fellow operators in the event of extreme weather.
“Coming from North Bay, I understand that a November snowstorm is not comparable to a February snowstorm,” Champagne said. “That’s why we ensure we’re tapping into local expertise every day.”
Voyago is no stranger to the unique needs of Ontario. The company services school bus routes across the province – it counts school boards in Ottawa, London, Waterloo, Brantford and York among its clients. And it comes with a reputation for safety – Voyago has racked up several safety awards from Canadian Occupational Safety, consistently being recognized as one of the country’s Safest Transportation Companies.
But Voyago also takes into consideration local challenges. York region may deal with more traffic and congestion on the roads, and a larger population, but Sudbury has a larger area to cover, not to mention erratic temperatures and sometimes hazardous road conditions in winter. That’s why Voyago is focused on retaining as many of the current drivers as possible, at least those that wish to continue on serving their route.
“We’ll be a local operation with local support, but it’s supported by Voyago’s provincial, national and international knowledge base,” Champagne said. Voyago is also announcing some major updates to its fleet. All 90 buses in the Sudbury fleet will be brand new, or under three years old. Those new buses will be gas-powered, Champagne said, which will help keep vehicles running – and students toasty warm – on cold, wintry days.
“Gas-powered allows us to heat up the bus’ windshield, they can actually melt the snow off,” Champagne said. “And it will be warmer for students, a comfortable ride in winter.”
“We also don't have the emissions that we’d have from diesel engines, we don't have idle time to warm up in the wintertime like a diesel would.” Overall, Champagne said, Voyago will be focused on bringing a “positive experience to our passengers each day.
Chuck Archer, Vice President Communications Transdev Ontario, said Voyago is now building up its workforce to be fully operational come the first day of classes.
And they’ve been busy. Recruiters have held an in-person job fair and are actively responding to calls and applications coming in online. Interested candidates can learn more online here.
Drivers, dispatchers and support staff are all on their list of potential employees, Archer said. “We’re really looking for local people,” Archer said. “We are a company that firmly believes in building from the grassroots, and it's important that we have people that understand Northern Ontario.”
“That’s the beauty of having someone like Claude [Champagne], a Sudbury Neighbour overseeing the district.” It’s that kind of familiarity that Archer said he hopes will trickle down throughout the operation.
“In the perfect world, it's the same driver moving the same kids since kindergarten,” Archer said. “That’s our goal – to make sure that it's the same driver on the same route – business as usual” “It makes life a lot easier, and much easier on the children. And everybody wins.”
For more information about Voyago’s services, or to join our team, visit our website.
At Voyago, we help mobilize Ontario’s Education system and our dedicated team of drivers, monitors, technicians, dispatch and admin staff safely move over 50,000 students everyday.
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