Ottawa Student Transportation Authority facing 'severe' school bus driver shortage
The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority is looking to hire 60 new school bus drivers, as it faces a "severe" driver shortage less than three weeks before the start of the school year.
The consortium that delivers student transportation to more than 60,000 students in Ottawa is looking at shifting some students to OC Transpo buses and merging low ridership routes to make sure kids can get to school starting September 7.
"There has been a school bus shortage for a long time, but, of course, it's been exacerbated now by the pandemic," said Vicky Kyriaco with the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority.
"So we did have a significant driver shortage last year, we were missing almost 100 drivers. This year we're at about 60 drivers short and still looking for ways to change the way that we've organized our routes so that we can take advantage of other types of modes of transportation and see how we can get kids to schools in other ways."
The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority says local operators are searching for new drivers who are looking for part-time work, that includes morning and afternoon routes. Bus drivers earn $15 to 20 an hour, training is free and the ministry is offering bonuses.
Kyriaco says there is no mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for drivers.
"There's no mandatory vaccination for bus drivers right now. Although there is a policy in play that's going to be assisting us to collect information about who is actually vaccinated and who is going to require the rapid testing on a regular basis if they haven't been vaccinated yet," said Kyriaco.
SCHOOL BUS ROUTE CHANGES
The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority says due to the driver shortage, additional planning is needed to adjust routes while ensuring all safety measures meet and/or exceed ministry guidelines.
Kyriaco says the authority is working with operators and OC Transpo on "creative solutions" to get as many students to school as possible.
"The first thing that we really looked at was which kids from Grades 7 to 12 could be switched over to public transit. So we did speak to OC Transpo just to see where they might have some capacity issues if we do transfer about 4,000 kids and that work is happening right now," said Kyriaco.
"We are adding some coaches and congregated stops for some high school students out in the rural areas. We're moving some low ridership buses together to create one long run."
The parent portal will open on Aug. 27 at 4 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.