Ontario’s education minister Mitzie Hunter says she is “very concerned” about an ongoing school bus driver shortage in the province.
Students are heading back to the classroom on Tuesday after the summer break and school bus driver shortages have been reported in parts of the GTA, including Toronto, Peel Region and Halton Region.
“I’m very concerned about this issue. I’ve met with the bus operators. I’ve met with the school boards first of all to ensure that they have plans in place to ensure all routes are covered and if all routes are not covered for any reason, that there are contingency plans and that those are communicated in advance to parents,” Hunter said.
Hunter added that she is monitoring the situation “very closely on a daily basis.”
“I know that the whole system has been activated, making sure everyone responds as best as possible to ensure that we don’t have a repeat of what happened last year,” she said.
A report released by Ontario’s ombudsman Paul Dube last month found that 2,600 Toronto students were left at bus stops during the start of the school year last year due to a driver shortage.
Dube’s report outlined how vulnerable children were put at risk and accused officials of failing to properly plan for the shortage, prepare drivers for their routes and communicate issues to parents.
The Toronto Student Transportation Group says all routes will have a bus driver for the first day of school this year.
“Earlier this week, we explained that a very small number (1%) of bus routes are being filled with experienced, temporary drivers, but that this will not impact the timeliness of the bus service that your child receives. These drivers are familiarizing themselves with their assigned routes to be ready for Tuesday’s start-up,” a statement released by the TSTG read.
“As always, there is a short adjustment period at the beginning of every school year as new drivers and new students familiarize themselves with bus stops and routes, but we don’t anticipate anything above and beyond that.”
In a statement sent out by the Student Transportation of Peel Region, parents were advised of a shortage of “qualified drivers.”
“This shortage is negatively impacting school bus service across Peel Region primarily in the city of Mississauga,” the statement read.
“Efforts to resolve these service issues are ongoing, however it may take some time to overcome current issues.”
Some bus delays have been reported in Peel Region but Carla Pereira, the director of communications and community relations for the Peel District School Board, said that is typical on the first day back.
“This happens every year as drivers and families and students adjust to new routes,” she said in an email to CP24 Tuesday.
School bus operators in Halton have also notified Halton Student Transportation Services of possible school bus driver shortages in Oakville and Burlington that “could impact school bus operations this September.”
“The Halton school bus operators and HSTS have been working diligently on a daily basis to minimize any possible delays that could impact students and families,” a written statement released by HSTS read.
