Lives matter

The value of safety

At BlueStar, safety is our top priority, which is why we focus on making every journey a safe one. We do this by:

  • Maintaining our fleet to the highest standards,
  • Our in-house team of mechanics (4 full time), understand the importance we place on safety as a company and helps us to ensure our vehicles remain in top shape for every journey.
  • Our shop foreman has successfully completed all additional specialized training with Prevost®. ** Prevost is the leading North American manufacturer of premium passenger coaches (of which, all our full-size coaches are).
  • Our shop is a government designated inspection facility, and our shop foreman is a government certified motor vehicle inspector.
  • In addition to scheduled maintenance, our Coaches are inspected a minimum of 15 times throughout the year by certified mechanics, to comply with various Government mandates.
    • Every 30 days to comply with CVSE Regulations for a Schedule 4 inspection (Government Certified Inspection Facility, with certified heavy duty mechanic holding an inspection ticket)
    • Every 6 months as per NSC (Federal Safety) Regulations for a MVI inspection (Government Certified Inspection Facility)
    • Annually to maintain School Bus Status (Government Authorized Inspector - CVSE Officer Only)
    • Additionally, Daily pre and post trip inspections by a driver holding a professional Class 1 or 2 license designation, to ensure compliance with all safety regulations (Motor Coach Operator).
  • Strictly adhering to all Provincial, Federal and USA Transportation Regulations and consistently being in good standing with all government regulatory bodies.
  • Hiring and training highly skilled and experienced drivers.
  • Selecting drivers for both their driving abilities and positive safety attitude.
  • All drivers must hold a Class 1 or 2 (with Air Brake endorsement) Professional driver’s license.
  • All driver qualifications and driving histories are monitored and maintained as per government regulations.
  • Each driver is required to participate in industry leading training which includes:
    • Smith System Space Cushion (Defensive) Driving, (Smith System® is the leading provider of collision avoidance driver training)
    • ELDs - All coaches are equipped with Electronic Logging Devices. Ensures compliance with all CVSE/ USDOT Hours of Service Rules and Regulations.
    • Coach Maintenance, (Emergency roadside repairs if possible), and Coach Orientation (thorough understanding for each of the various coaches we operate).
    • All drivers are required to Submit to Pre-employment Drug and Alcohol tests, and a Criminal Records Search,
    • Random drug and alcohol tests,
    • Adhere to company standards,
    • Customer Service, involves their understanding in the importance of providing a safe, smooth, comfortable ride, as well as being able to address the needs of the client on board.
  • Carrying first aid kits on board every coach (required by Law).
  • Fire suppression systems (Fire Extinguishers required by Law) are on board every coach. Coach Models 2016 or newer have automatic engine fire suppression systems installed.
  • Full Sanitization of coach provides peace of mind to clients.
  • Ensuring the floor lighting is working for night time journeys.
  • Comfort: heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.
  • Certifications and Insurance Coverage:
    • Our coaches are School Bus Certified and,
    • covered over and above the accepted levels of insurance for transportation carriers; with 10 Million ICBC coverage, plus 5 Million of General Liability, thus providing excellent peace of mind to our customers.
    • Federal and Provincial organizations:
      • BlueStar is a proud and active stake-holder of local and federal tourism organizations, and is actively leading industry discussions regarding best practices.
  • BlueStar works with industry partners to educate and promote compliance by all operators