Steering problem forces authorities to pull more than 600 Quebec buses off the road

MONTREAL – Quebec public transit corporations had to pull more than 600 buses off the road today after the manufacturer detected a technical problem.

Nova Bus of St-Eustache, Que., ordered immediate inspections after finding a fault with the power steering in hybrid buses delivered between 2016 and 2019 to operators in the province’s nine largest cities.

Montreal had to remove 285 of the buses, and it advised commuters to expect delays.

Other cities affected were Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil, Outaouais, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Levis and Trois-Rivieres, for a total of 610 buses.

The association representing the transit corporations said Nova Bus has identified a permanent fix for the problem, but it does not have all the necessary parts on hand.

In the meantime, it said temporary repairs will be made so the buses can quickly return to service.

Marc-Andre Varin, the association’s general manager, said it was necessary to remove the buses from service to respect provincial safety rules.