Anglophone East School District buses parked after batteries stolen
New Brunswick's Anglophone East School District was forced to cancel several bus routes Tuesday morning after batteries were stolen from the vehicles.
Sometime overnight, 17 batteries were stolen from six school buses parked at the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure's compound in Moncton.
The targeted buses were parked in the lot of the department's salt storage. The gates were open.
Francis Vienneau is shop superintendent for District 3, where the fleet stays at night, and says no damage was done to the vehicles. He says the thieves got what they wanted and left.
"Somebody needed some money or something," he said. "I'm not sure — sell old batteries at the junkyard you don't get a lot of money for them. We've had break-ins before, even in locked compounds, so when they do come in they're ready for it."
Vienneau says the cost of replacing the batteries was well over $3,000 and the vehicles were back on the road by the afternoon.
RCMP say they're investigating the theft, along with a similar incident that took place in December.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, along with the school district, are looking for ways to deter theft, including the installation of cameras on the site.
