The Yukon school system is phasing out the same type of 15-passenger van that was being driven last week in Bathurst, N.B., in a collision that killed eight of the 12 occupants.

While investigators are still looking into what happened, there are concerns over icy road conditions, many have also expressed apprehension over the safety of such vans.

Regions including New Brunswick and P.E.I. have suspended the use of the vans to transport students for the time being, since last week's crash, which saw the van torn open after it slammed into a tractor-trailer truck in the truck's lane.

The Yukon government, however, is continuing with its plans of phasing them out as it acquires small buses for school trips.

Some areas have already banned the use of the vehicles due to the safety issues around them, such as the high roll-over rate.

'There's been some concerns for a long time,' Dea Hrebien, student transportation officer for the Department of Education, told the Star this week.

The concerns prompted the department to modify the vans about five years ago in an effort to make them safer.

That meant taking the back seat out of the vans so they now seat just 11 passengers instead of 15, and not allowing any luggage in the back.

The vans can no longer be used to tow anything and there are no longer roof racks on the vehicles.

'They take a whole separate vehicles,' Hrebien explained of how luggage and other such items are carried for lengthier school trips.

In addition, those driving the vans for school trips must have a Class 4 licence, though the Motor Vehicles Act requires just the more general Class 5 licence for the vehicles.

In addition to vehicles under the general Class 5, Class 4 permits the operation of buses carrying up to 24 passengers, taxis and ambulances.

There are 10 such vans throughout the territory, but there are also four small buses that can carry 21 passengers, a 16-passenger mini-school bus and a larger bus for the Wood Street Centre programs that's been fixed with coach seats that can carry up to 24 passengers.

As the department orders newer vehicles in coming years, the vans will be taken off the road. There are a couple that are slated to be replaced this year, she said, noting buses are built differently with dual wheels and such that can make them safer.

The department is also planning to review its regulations around the transportation of students.

The policy outlines the rules about the 15-passenger vans, taking out the vans, who can travel in the vehicles and sets out regulations around weather conditions.

Travel can't begin if the temperature is, or is expected to fall below -35 C. If it dips below -35 during the trip itself, the driver is required to get to a safe shelter until the temperature goes up in accordance with an approved contingency plan.

Permanent signs stating the bus is used to transport students are in place on the vans and include a contact number.

While the policy states drivers have to observe existing road conditions and obey all traffic laws and speed limits, the eight-page document doesn't set out any guidelines around what to do if the roads are found to be significantly icy or in a bad condition.

With the policy developed in 2004, Hrebian said the department plans to look at the document again.

Earlier this week, an investigator said the predominant factor in the New Brunswick collision seemed to be icy road conditions.

The van had all-season tires rather than winter tires, it's been reported.

In the Yukon, Hrebien said about half the vans have winter tires for highway driving, while the other half have all-season. Those with all-season tires are used within the city on shorter trips, such as going from a school to the Canada Games Centre.

That said, Hrebian noted that if a driver is concerned about the road conditions, he or she is able to call and the department will look at it.

The newer vehicles that are being purchased are equipped with winter tires, she said.

As the department reviews its policy , it will likely look at what tires are used on the vehicles.

In the U.S., schools are banned from buying or leasing 15-seat vans but some states permit the use of older ones.

Meanwhile, the manager of Whitehorse Motors, the local Ford dealership, said this week there haven't been any calls from customers who have purchased 15-passanger vans after the New Brunswick accident, which involved a 1997 Ford Club Wagon van.

The large vans are commonly used in the territory's wilderness tourism industry.