School bus driver shortage lingers late, into new year

A shortage of school bus drivers continues to plague both Hamilton school boards.

And despite new funds from the province to retain drivers there doesn’t yet appear to be an end in sight.

Ten bus routes continue to face delays in the shared public and Catholic bussing contract, confirmed Todd White, chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.

The lack of drivers for those routes means other drivers have to add on another route each day once they are done their normally scheduled route to pick up students at routes without drivers.

The shortage is making about 800 public school and 319 Catholic students late for school, defined as later than 10 minutes.

The average lateness is about 18 minutes, said White, but sometimes school has started already. Some students have been as late as 20 minutes to a half-hour, but White said that is the extreme end of the delays.

There are 19 public and six Catholic schools affected.

“Retention (of drivers) remains the bigger issue,” White said.

New drivers are being recruited and trained, but not enough to replace all those resigning to go to other jobs, or retiring.

A number of school boards across Ontario have been dealing with school bus driver shortages since the start of the school year in September.

“It has surprised many boards,” said White, of the persistence of the problem this late in the school year.

Catholic board chair Patrick Daly said he’s more disappointed than surprised.

“We had hoped it would have been resolved much sooner.”

The province announced on Dec. 15 it is spending $60 million to help, but neither Hamilton board has seen any of the money. Both Daly and White said they are awaiting the criteria.

Ministry of Education spokesperson Heather Irwin said the $60 million is for a new driver retention program and is expected to flow “retention bonuses” directly to drivers at the end of this school year and the next.

The province in December also announced it is working on “a new vision” for student transportation and is seeking public input.

Daly and White, along with their respective senior board staff, will give input for their corresponding boards at a regional meeting in London on Feb. 8.

In addition, Daly, an Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association representative, sits on one of two advisory groups for those leading the “new vision” discussions. The association will also have its own submission and the Hamilton Catholic Board will comment in writing once that is presented, Daly added.

The public can submit its suggestions via email to ST.newvision@ontario.ca by March 29.

The new vision discussion paper is at ontario.ca/page/consultationnew-vision-student-transportation