Students at CHEO’s school left without a ride to school due to bus driver shortage

The bus driver shortage in Ottawa is leaving some students with complex medical and physical needs without a ride to school this fall.

Mari Murray, the principal at the school at CHEO, tells CTV News Ottawa that seven out of the 30 students do not have rides to school.

"We are a specialized school for kids with physical disabilities who require intensive physical therapy during the course of their school day, so it does impact them significantly," Murray says.

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The CHEO School is a program that serves children with physical disabilities and complex medical needs. It is located at the CHEO campus, at the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre.

"A lot of our students are in wheelchairs and many of them have medical complex needs so they do require specialized accessible wheelchair transportation," Murray says

Most students arrive with special transportation by Direct Transportation, a contractor under the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA).

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board confirms that there are students affected by the cancellations that go to the school at CHEO.

"We are trying to work very closely with the consortium, OSTA on looking at alternatives, thinking outside of the box, looking a different way we can solve this issue," Murray says.

Julie Jewett’s daughter Lily started Grade 1 this week and is one of the students affected by the shortage.

"All of a sudden there was no bus, and the driving is on me," Jewett says.

Jewett plans on driving Lily from the city’s west end to CHEO on Smyth Road every day. Along for the ride is Jewett’s 13-month-old daughter Grace.

"It takes me potentially 2.5 hours with traffic, with driving and another little one, we will find a way to do but it comes at a cost."

Jewett says not all parents are able to do the driving.

"It really breaks my heart knowing that there are some kids that won’t be able to experience this program here at CHEO and get the best possible education and therapies because (parents) don’t have a job that can allow them to drive their kids to school," Jewett says.

Parents say they are thankful for the school’s efforts in finding temporary fixes.

Three-year-old Cecelia Ramirez-Werner had no bus to take her on her first day of kindergarten. 

"I wish we're able to just walk her to the school that was around the corner from us, but that is not an option for us," mom Courteney Werner says.

"I think it is concerning for a lot of parents, especially for parents who don’t have the flexibility that I have to start work late.”

Werner says the school was able to secure a temporary driver for next week, but it is not a specialized vehicle, so Cecelia will have to leave her wheelchair at school overnight. Her parents will need to pick her up at the end of the week to transport the wheelchair back to their home in Barrhaven.

"I am happy there is a short-term solution. Obviously, it is not ideal to not have her wheelchair at home. That is her legs and mobility," Werner says.

"They found a driver for van transport, but it means her wheelchair can’t go with her, but it means she can go to school, so we will have to leave her chair here. It is not ideal but it a great interim solution; they are really trying here (at CHEO)," Werner says.

Murray says this is one temporary solution for some students, but a long-term fix is desperately needed.

"Some of our kiddos who depend on wheelchairs, depending on their weight, we may be able to put them in car seats and put the wheelchair in the back of a typical transportation van and then transfer in and out. It is more complicated and complex, and it does involve lifting and transferring on the part of our staff but if they are under a certain weight limit it is a possibility," Murray says.

"I am hopeful, I know everyone is doing their very best."

In a statement to CTV News, OSTA says, "OSTA understands the importance of accessible transportation for students with special needs. It’s important for students to keep a daily routine and have access to their school programs. We are currently working with our operators to prioritize finding a solution for the students whose accessible transportation has been cancelled. Parents and guardians will be notified once a solution has been found."

Parents like Jewett say they will do what they can to keep their children at school at CHEO.

"It’s a very special place to us," Jewett says. "If I can’t drive her to school, she doesn’t have a way to get here. And I am going to do everything I can to get her to school every day."