Driver shortages threaten bus service
Special-needs students will be given priority for at least the first week
Some students in Toronto who rely on school buses to get to and from school will have to find alternative modes of transportation the first week back this September, as service is being adjusted to meet the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Toronto Student Transportation Group, which is responsible for providing bus services for the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board, has announced it will only serve students with special needs during the week of Sept. 8 to 11.
All other eligible students will start receiving transportation services the following week, beginning Sept. 14.
In a letter addressed to Toronto parents on Tuesday, the group said phasing in bus services was chosen to “ensure that students with special education needs are prioritized and receive bus service beginning the first week of school.”
The letter also warns that eligible students may still not be able to get transportation services if “there is a significant shortage of bus drivers or other unforeseen issues related to COVID-19” when school reopens in a couple of weeks.
“Given continued school bus driver shortages across the province, this staggered approach provides TSTG additional time to identify and address any potential start-up issues related to the driver shortage, and to ensure when full transportation services are in place, they are running as smoothly as possible,” the letter stated.
Since Ontario’s announcement on the school reopening, parents across the province have expressed concerns about the lack of information on how kids will be bused to and from school, a factor that could influence their choice to send children to school or register them for remote learning.
Bus service providers on the other hand say there’s little they can do in terms of planning if they don’t have concrete numbers on how many children will be registered for in-class learning and therefore need transportation.
“Driver shortages are being caused by the uncertainty of the number of students on buses and per seat,” said Nancy Daigneault, executive director of the Ontario School Bus Association. She said school boards across Ontario have sent out surveys to collect data on how many students will be in need of school bus transportation, but the results have not come back yet.
“As each day passes without clarity on this issue, the shortage becomes more acute and delays and driver shortages are possible,” she added.
Another big issue that can add to the shortage problem, Daigneault noted, is the fact that more than 60 per cent of bus drivers are over the age of 60 and therefore could opt out of work because of being at higher risk of contracting severe cases of COVID-19.
Sandy Blatherwick, a longtime school bus driver in the Wellington County, said she’s “very concerned” to return to work considering she and her husband are both over 60 and he has some underlying health issues.
“I do not want any of the kids passing each other on the bus when they get on. My rules also: face masks will be mandatory on my bus. I do not want to get sick,” she said.
The student transportation group in Toronto also issued health and safety guidelines that include requiring all students from kindergarten to Grade 12 to wear a face mask when on the bus, with the exception of those who have a health condition or special needs preventing them from covering their face. Enhanced bus cleaning practices will take place before and after each shift and in-between the day runs. Toronto public and Catholic students are being warned they may not get bus service if there is a shortage of drivers or other issues related to COVID-19 as schools reopen.