Important Message from Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region
September 15, 2022
Dear Parents and Families,
We want to share an important update about school buses. Due to the ongoing bus driver shortage and lingering impacts of the public board’s cyber attack on our shared bus planning software, some routes will need to be temporarily cancelled.
Most bus routes are operating normally. However, some routes are experiencing more frequent and prolonged delays (30 minutes or greater).
This temporary measure will be effective Monday, September 19, 2022 and will continue until Christmas, at which time our need for cancellations will be reviewed.
We understand the significant impact this decision will have on our students and their families and caregivers. Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) does this only as a last resort. We hope that this proactive message will allow families and caregivers to better prepare for and react to the cancellation of bus routes.
Please note that delays have not been caused by our current bus drivers. When they are late, it is because they are trying to support students on bus routes that have no driver, with the best of intentions. They do not have to do this. They are trying to help. Please be kind to them!
What Happens If A School Bus Route is Cancelled?
Effective September 19, 2022
A school bus route will be cancelled when the driver shortage causes a route to be late by more than 30 minutes consistently. Affected students and families will be informed immediately of the cancellation period. Cancellations are done on a week to week basis.
Supporting Student Learning
If a school bus route is cancelled, families are responsible for transporting their children to and from school each day.
Where this is not possible, students should access asynchronous learning materials posted by their classroom teacher on their Learning Management System (LMS), either D2L or Google Classroom. Additional activities can be found here: https://bit.ly/WCDSBIW.
Families should contact their school to let them know if they are unable to get to school. The school can also help families to sign out a Chromebook if necessary.
Stay Informed
Families will be informed the day prior to any cancellation. Cancellations will be posted on the STSWR website with an expected return date.
· Register for notifications on the STSWR parent portal
· Check the Bus Delays page on the STSWR website
The Bus Delays page will be updated with cancellation information each afternoon by 4:30 PM.
Questions?
Please contact Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR).