‘Breathtaking in its recklessness’: Bus driver facing imprisonment for impaired driving

A 71‑year‑old Saskatchewan charter bus driver has been sentenced to six months in jail after driving while impaired with 52 children and two teachers on board a school trip bus near Saskatoon.

Saskatoon provincial court Judge Brad Mitchell sentenced Richard Arthur Potratz to six months in custody, followed by one year of probation and a two‑year driving prohibition, CBC reported. The judge said Potratz’s decision to drive after consuming alcohol while also taking strong prescription painkillers was “breathtaking in its recklessness” and posed an “outrageous” risk to the children on board, according to CBC.

Potratz was operating a Prince Albert Northern Bus Lines charter on 14 March 2025, returning a group of Holliston Elementary School students to Saskatoon from a ski trip to Table Mountain, west of the Battlefords, CBC reported. There were 52 school‑aged children and two teachers on the bus.

Driving behaviour and intervention

During the trip, Potratz drifted in and out of his lane and at times drove on the shoulder, frightening passengers. One of the teachers managed to persuade him to pull over, CBC said. By the time police arrived, a replacement driver had taken the bus and passengers away, and Potratz was found passed out in the back seat of a separate vehicle being driven by a chaperone.

CBC reported that his blood‑alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit. He was also taking prescribed fentanyl and hydromorphone for chronic back pain, which he described in court as “12 out of 10” that day. Judge Mitchell said, “This was essentially drinking in order to drive,” according to CBC.

Potratz was fired by the bus company following the incident, CBC noted.

Previously, a ‘You’re beautiful’ comment led to a bus driver’s dismissal.

Sentencing submissions, judge’s decision

At a sentencing hearing on the Potratz case in November, Crown prosecutor Janyne Laing submitted two similar impaired‑driving cases from other provinces in which the offenders received six‑month jail sentences, CBC reported. However, she recommended a community sentence order of two years less a day, citing Potratz’s age and medical issues. A community sentence order is a jail sentence served in the community under strict conditions.

Potratz represented himself and did not oppose the Crown’s position. Judge Mitchell reserved his decision to consider whether a community‑based sentence was appropriate.

In pronouncing sentence on Monday, Mitchell said a community sentence order would not send a strong enough message to the public in this case, CBC reported. He pointed to the aggravating factor in the Criminal Code that relates to impaired driving with passengers under 16, noting there were 52 such passengers on the bus. He also referred to the fear that any parent of school‑aged children would feel on hearing about the incident.

Mitchell imposed a six‑month custodial sentence, one year of probation with 50 hours of community service, and a two‑year driving ban, CBC reported. Potratz was led from the courtroom in handcuffs.

At the earlier hearing, Potratz read a letter of apology to the principal of Holliston Elementary School, telling the court he would regret his actions “for eternity,” according to CBC.

Currently, a Vancouver Island driver convicted in a fatal highway work zone crash is waiting to learn whether she will serve time behind bars or be allowed to carry out her sentence in the community, according to a previous report.