Dear Families,
The Toronto Student Transportation Group (TSTG) would like to provide an update on student transportation for September 2022.
Phased-in Start
As the school year begins, the TSTG will once again implement a phased-in start for student transportation to provide a more consistent service for families and to ensure that students with special education needs are prioritized to receive bus service beginning the first week of school. Both the TDSB and TCDSB will be following this phased-in start.
- From September 7 to 9 –students with special education needs (excluding those in the gifted program) who travel to school on minibuses, minivans, taxis and wheelchair-accessible vehicles will be provided with student transportation.
- From September 7 to 9 – students at relocation schools, specific buses for new Canadians, The Island Public school, and those at Wandering Spirit will also be provided with transportation services.
- From September 12 – all other eligible students will be provided with student transportation unless there are concerns with driver availability.
Driver Availability
As bus operators continue to face a province-wide driver shortage, the phased-in approach also provides TSTG with additional time to identify and address any potential issues so that when full transportation services are in place, they can run as smoothly as possible.
Throughout the summer, we have been in constant communication with our carriers who have provided ongoing driver status updates. Currently, new drivers are being trained so they are ready for the start of the new school year. At this point, we have been advised that approximately 2% of our total routes do not have drivers assigned to them. In addition, there is also a shortage of approximately 80 backup/spare drivers. We anticipate that the number of routes without a driver will decrease as these new drivers complete their training.
We will continue to work closely with all bus operators in the coming days to confirm driver availability for the start of school. Should driver availability impact service in September, we will update families as soon as possible.
COVID-19 Protocols
Numerous safety precautions maintained during the pandemic will remain in place during school bus transportation.
Please remember that if your child is ill, please keep them at home – as a reminder, bus carriers will maintain this message. Weather permitting, bus windows will be open to allow for air circulation. Students will continue to be assigned seats. Our bus carriers will continue to maintain an accelerated cleaning protocol to ensure a safe environment.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the TSTG at any time:
- Call Centre – 647-790-3829
- General Inquiries – transportation@torontoschoolbus.org
- Safety Concerns – safety@torontoschoolbus.org
- Technology Issue with the Portal – support@torontoschoolbus.org
Sincerely,
Kevin Hodgkinson
General Manager
Toronto Student Transportation Group