Stock Transportation needs to 'rebuild some trust,' says company

Stock Transportation's TerriLowe can only see the company's troubled Nova Scotia operations in the rear-view mirror.

"We are moving past that," said the chief operating officerwho has been responsible for the company's Canadian operations only ninemonths.

During most of that time, the company's Nova Scotia services have been under a microscope for violating provincial law, operating buses without alicence and trying to hide deficiencies from provincial inspectors.

"We need to focus on rebuilding our brand," she told CBCNews during a telephone interview to discussthe Utility and Review Board's final report released late last week. "There was some damage to that and people started to question Stock."

Former executive singled out

As she has in previous preliminary reports, UARB member Dawna Ring placed most of the blame for the company's troubles on former general manager Troy Phinney, who the report said was "terminated" by the company "approximately July 5, 2017."

That was just weeks after Lowe started in the newly created position of chief operating officer at the company's Canadian corporate offices in Toronto. She refused to say whether she firedPhinney.

"I'm not going to answer that question," she said. "That really is a personnel issue."

Ring did single out the former Stock executivein her report, which concluded:"Mr.Phinneyshould not operate or direct the operation of public passenger vehicles unless and until he appears before the board and satisfies it he has changed and will provide safe, quality, sustainable transportation services in accordance with all statutes, regulations, rules and orders."

Phinney is working for a competitor, First Student, as a senior vice-president for eastern Canada.

Lowe refused to talk about that, too.

"It is not my place to discuss a personnel issue, and what [job]he has moved on to really has nothing to do with Stock or myself," she said.

Report fair, company says

In her final report, Ring appeared convinced Stock and its parent company, NationalExpress, had taken the necessary steps to rectify the myriad problems uncovered during the UARB'sinquiry.

"The board is satisfiedthe types of breaches found in the initial show-cause proceedings will not be permitted or condoned in the future," Ring wrote. "All Stock witnesses who testified before the board appeared to be honest, sincere and dedicated to providing safe, quality transportation to the school boards they service."

Lowe said the company was pleased with the outcome of the hearing and that Stock felt it was a fair report.

"We're focused on delivering students to school safely every single day and, you know, this community should be assured that our buses are safe," said Lowe. "And the motor carrier division [of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal]confirmed that for us at the hearing and so it's important for everyone to know that."