TORONTO — The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) announced the publication of a standard to provide voluntary requirements for activity buses.

Activity buses are intended to be used as a safer alternative to other vehicles, such as vans, that are not classified as a school bus but are still used to transport groups of school-age passengers to sporting events, community activities or other such trips.

CSA D270 Multi-Functional Activity Buses includes construction standards such as joint strength, crashworthiness, rollover protection, emergency exits and compartmentalization.

However, the new standard does not include requirements for traffic- and pedestrian-control devices, such as warning lights or stop arms, as these buses are not to be used for roadside pick-up and drop-off of passengers.

CSA first proposed the activity buses standard in 2006 due to increasing use of non-conforming vehicles, or those not classified or tested to school bus standards, for the transportation of students to school-related activities in Canada.

Adoption and enforcement of the standard will be at the discretion of provincial governments.

For more information, visit www.csa.ca.