Ontario ombudsman will look into school bus driver shortage

Ontario ombudsman Paul Dubé is appointing staff members to examine the widespread shortage of school bus drivers affecting hundreds of students.

Over the past week, school bus driver shortages in Toronto, York Region and Hamilton have affected over 1,000 children and their parents, who have been forced to find alternative transportation for their kids.

Both boards say the problems are centred primarily on three companies that provide bus service: Attridge Transportation, Sharp Bus Lines and Wheelchair Accessible Transit.

In a news release Friday afternoon, Dubé said staff members will first “assess the issues” before a determination is made on whether or not a full investigation is necessary.

Both the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board will be evaluated.

“Over the past few days, we have heard media reports as well as complaints from frustrated parents who waited for their children to be picked up or dropped off, only to have no bus show up,” he said in the release.

A spokesperson from TDSB said the problem primarily impacts elementary students on their 60 bus routes. In the meantime, drivers are doubling up on routes and staff are pitching in to help out with student drop-offs.

If deemed necessary, the investigation will look into how the shortage occurred and what was done to inform parents prior to the first day back to school.

Dubé said the probe will likely lead to recommendations on how to remedy the problem now and for future school years.

Bus route delays will continue next week

In a letter to parents of students directly affected by the widespread school bus shortage, the Toronto District School Board confirmed the delays will continue next week.

The school board said that buses scheduled for both the morning and afternoon could be delayed as long as 30 to 60 minutes.

"While we do not anticipate cancellations, they remain a possibility due to the driver shortage. If you are able to transport your child to school or make alternate arrangements, we recommend you do so. If you are not able to transport your child to school and a bus has not arrived, please contact the Toronto Student Transportation Group or your school office," the letter issued Friday afternoon reads.

The letter goes on to assure parents that the school will provide supervision for students until buses arrive and depart.

In a separate letter, posted on the TDSB website, the board said it is "not uncommon" for school bus transportation issues to occur at the beginning of the school year.

"This year, the level of disruption caused by the shortage of bus drivers cannot be solved immediately," the letter reads. "While the short of bus drivers is beyond the school board's control, we sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your continued patience."

The head of the TDSB said the board was blindsided by the problem to start the school year.

“We at the Toronto District School Board are frustrated that we did not know that this was going to be the circumstances on Tuesday,” TDSB Director of Education John Malloy said Friday.

“We will follow up with our bus companies on that.”

Education minister addresses back-to-school concerns

Earlier today, Ontario’s education minister Mitzie Hunter said it’s the responsibility of school boards to fix the bus driver shortage, not the province.

Hunter said that the province has made funding available for school boards to obtain transportation, and that it has been increased by 40 percent since 2003.

Some bus drivers told CTV Toronto that the lack of drivers is a result of low wages, variable hours and increased responsibility of young children.

The Ontario Safety League, which trains bus drivers, said wages often sit around $65 per day based on four hours of paid work and that many drivers have opted to drive for Uber instead.

Furthermore, the union representing more than 1,000 bus drivers told CP24 that the lack of drivers “isn’t a surprise,” calling them “the lowest paid transit workers in the Province of Ontario.”

Dubé pledged that the assessment into the problem will be conducted “as quickly as possible.”

Anyone who has information about the school bus shortage is being asked to call the Ombudsman’s office at 800-263-1830 or through an online complaint form found at www.ombudsman.on.ca.