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1) What is a certification program ?

A certification program stem from a standard.
A standard is a document that prescribes rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results. In the bus transport case, a service standard elaboration will allow to describe the full performance of the service, namely the whole human, material,

organizational means needed to be implemented to guarantee the quality of the services provided. Consequently to the implementation of the procedures that are founded in the normative document, the compliance's certification establishes the objective verification, by an independent third party, that the business meets all the expectations included in the document that prescribes the rules.

2) Is the Certification Program obligatory ?

No, the certification program is not obligatory; it is up to the bus transport business to decide of its implementation.

3) Are the subcontractors that the business is doing business with during peak periods liable to the decreed rules of the Certification Program ?

Even if the subcontractors are not liable to the decreed rules of the program, the certified business has to ensure that the customer will receive the services as agreed with it. It must minimally ensure itself toward the subcontractor that it has the required insurances, that the driver has received a customers service based training, and that he succeeded in his road evaluation. The business must notify its customer verbally or in writing 5 days in advance that it will uses the services of a subcontractor by providing the name of the business and the bus' class. The customer has three days to accept or refuse the offer.

4) How long does it takes to obtain the certification of a bus transport business ?

It depends on the business, its internal organization, and the efforts that it will put forward in order to achieve the level of service prescribed in the Certification Program.

5) Will a certified business be allowed to work in the whole Québec ?

All the bus transport businesses, certified or not, have the obligation to respect the territory prescribed by their licence issued by the Commission des transports du Québec.

6) Are the certified businesses liable to supplementary mechanical evaluations ?

The certified businesses are not liable to supplementary mechanical evaluations but they must inevitably submit themselves to the Preventive Maintenance Program (PMP) of the Société d'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).

7) Once certified, what are the responsibilities and obligations of a bus transport
business ?

The business must submit itself to a yearly control administered by the Bureau de normalisation du Québec. If it fails and doesn't bring the required modifications in the prescribed delays, it is liable to loose its certification, which would be prejudicial to its credibility.

8) For which reasons would the tour organizers do business with the certified businesses ?

The procedures implemented with the certification procedure ensure the customer that its demand, modification or telephone call will be processed within a 3 days maximum. This type of procedures will prevent all kind of misunderstanding, for example, regarding a change of dates.

9) What is the Bureau de normalisation du Québec role before, during, and after the certification procedure of a bus transport business ?

The Bureau de normalisation du Québec has drawn up the standard and its components. It proceeds to the business certification when the implementation procedure of the program has been realised. Once the business is certified, the BNQ conducts a yearly evaluation to ensure that all the steps and procedures have been respected. The Bureau de normalisation du Québec has the power to withdraw the certification if the business has not respected the procedure.

10) As regards the business procedures, what will be the main changes and how will the customers be served better ?

11) What guarantees that the business will deliver the proposed bus type ?

The business must deliver the bus type stated in the contract. If this bus type is not available, it must foresee a higher-class vehicle to the one stated in the contract. If the customer consents to, it can book an inferior class bus.

12) Is the Bus Transport Businesses Certification Program part of the standards' series intended for the tourism industry and of which Tourisme Québec is promoting ?

Yes, Tourisme Québec is working since some years to the elaboration of a quality program for the different providers of the tourism industry jointly with the BNQ and the different sectional associations. Twelve standards programs are currently under elaboration including cruisers and ferries, holiday centres, campgrounds, travel agencies and bus transport.

13) What will be the different right of redress of the customer if the offered services do not correspond to the settlement with the certified carrier ?

A complaint management mechanism is provided for all certified businesses. This latter must fill a form including the full address and telephone number of the griever and the subject of complaint.
A return receipt must be sent within the tree days on following the date of receipt. An answer must be sent to the griever within a sixty days delay.

14) What is the customer's responsibility ?

The customer must provide all the necessary information to the carrier during the bidding in order to have a price consonant with the demand. It is the customer's responsibility to verify the terms of payment and the proposed rescissions before signing the contract.

15) How can the carrier obtain more information about the Bus Carrier Certification Program?

The carrier will be able to obtain more information by calling the Bureau de normalisation du Québec at (418) 652-2238 in Quebec City or at 1-800-386-5114