Ottawa school transportation authority still short 20 drivers, latest tally shows

Many of the cancelled school bus routes are in west-end and central Ottawa.

Published Sep 06, 2024  •  Last updated 11 hours ago  •  1 minute read

About 14 drivers are in training or awaiting their licences, the OSTA reported in an update on Friday. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

Ottawa’s two English School board are short by about 20 school bus drivers affecting about 80 runs, according to an update released Friday.

There are about 14 drivers in training and/or awaiting their licences from the provincial Ministry of
Transportation, said the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority, which serves the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

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The shortage represents about 1.8 per cent of all OSTA transportation services.

The numbers released Friday represent a slight decline from Aug. 28, when bus operators were short by 24 drivers. The list of cancelled routes is posted on the OSTA website. Many of them are in west-end and central Ottawa.

“OSTA acknowledges the hardship caused by cancellations, especially for families on rural routes that face significant costs and time commitments in transporting their children to school,” the transportation authority said in a statement. 

Last year, the families of 7,500 students at the two school boards learned their children would not have bus transportation to school only days before Labour Day as bus operators were short by 130 drivers, leaving parents scrambling to drive children to school or to find alternative transportation. 

Driver shortages fluctuate throughout the year, especially after the holidays, when many drivers do not return, OSTA said.

Some Grade 7-12 students have been transitioned to public transit, and some yellow bus service has been changed and/or cancelled.

Parents of students on cancelled runs will need to find alternative transportation to get children to school for the next few weeks until service stabilizes. Parents and guardians may also request Single Ride Vouchers (SRVs) to take public transit with their children, OSTA said.

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