No school buses for more than 2,400 Ottawa students

More than 2,400 Ottawa students won’t have a bus to school when classes resume due to a driver shortage, the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority says.

In an update on Monday, OSTA said 27 more drivers are needed to cover all school bus routes.

“We recognize this is still a challenge for many families, and we are working tirelessly on finding temporary and long-term solutions for the families facing service disruptions,” OSTA said.

OSTA’s parent portal will open on Monday, Aug. 29, at which point parents can check the status of their child’s bus. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and Ottawa Catholic School Board resume classes on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

The driver shortage is less drastic than last year, when transportation services were disrupted for 12,000 students.

Recruitment efforts have led to new drivers being hired for this school year, with service expected to be provided for more than 96 per cent of students. The DriveYellow.ca campaign, which OSTA and some operators launched last spring, has led to more than 163 completed applications and 35 drivers hired or in training.

But for routes facing service disruptions, OSTA is looking at measures such as combining routes with low ridership into one, moving students from cancelled routes to existing routes, adding congregated stops, building in arrival or departure delays, and using public transit or vans.

Last September, more than 2,000 students were shifted from yellow school buses to OC Transpo due to the bus driver shortage.

“Becoming a Yellow School Bus Driver is not an overnight process; drivers must be vetted, trained, and licensed in a process that can take up to four weeks,” OSTA’s update said. “Hiring is ongoing and will continue throughout the school year to ensure there is a minimal service disruption.”

Parents who are opting out of school buses are asked to update OSTA with their intentions as soon as possible. They can opt back in anytime.