This only happens in seconds. Stolen catalysts and this time the target are school buses.
An Ottawa school bus company pulled out seven of its vehicles on Wednesday when thieves stole catalysts, leading to the cancellation of several school bus routes.
Rebecca Liberty’s nephew had to be driven to school.
“I got a call and said there were no buses available for my nephew because the catalysts were stolen from eight of the buses,” Liberty said.
Liberty’s nephew takes an affordable bus to school. The thieves also targeted three of these vehicles.
“We’re lucky we figured it out,” Liberty said. “While other parents may not be so lucky because he has to go to school. He gets his PT and OT through school. We miss so much, we just don’t want that to happen because of the school bus.”
Catalysts are made with traces of precious metals and scrap dealers are willing to pay in cash for them. This is mainly a problem in North America.
But when thieves head for school buses, they also affect the student’s education.
“There were no spare buses in this particular case, so we had to cancel the service,” said Vicki Kyriako, chief administrative officer at the Ottawa Student Transport Authority. “People who interfere with service through vandalism or theft really need to start thinking about the impact they have on children. And their ability to get to school.”
Repairs are expensive. From $ 1,500 for a car to almost $ 4,000 for a van. Ottawa police and the OPP have issued a number of signals to drivers to be vigilant against theft.
“We hear about the robbery of ordinary cars. “Even that is ridiculous,” Liberty said. “But now it’s affecting school boards and a lot of families.”
The bus company affected by the stolen catalysts declined to comment.
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