MISSISSAUGA, Ontario (July 22, 2008) — Six months after a 15-passenger van crash in New Brunswick killed seven high school basketball players and the wife of their coach, the Canadian Standards Association has published national standards for that may replace vans used for school activity trips.

Much like the American multi-function school activity bus (MFSAB), the Canadian multi-function activity bus (MFAB) has many of the same safety design elements as a traditional school bus minus additional equipment such as the crossing gate, flashing lights or stop arm.

Following the New Brunswick crash, the province immediately banned 15-passenger vans for home-to-school transportation. A number of other provinces and districts across the country began assessing their use as well. In the mid-1990s, neighboring Nova Scotia became the only province to completely banned the nonconforming vehicle.

The new standard's development actually precedes the crash by several years. According to the Ontario School Bus Association, the MFAB was first discussed at the Canadian Pupil Transportation Conference in 2006.

In the United States, it is virtually illegal to use 10- to 15-passenger vans for regular-route pupil transportation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration developed MFSAB standards in 2003, and a federal law (SAFETEA-LU) dictating limitations on the sale of vans to school districts went into effect in 2005. However, a 2006 National Transportation Safety Board report found 25 states had taken limited action or no action, 10 had implemented limited or partial action and 10 states had prohibited the vehicles from transporting children to all schools and day cares.