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By Brendan Miller

Province gives money to improve student transportation

Mar 14, 2023 | 4:46 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Long bus rides to schools, a lack of drivers, and high fuel prices can make it difficult for school divisions to get students to and from school.

The provincial government says it has heard concerns from school authorities and parents and funding is being increased over the next three years to ensure safer, more affordable transportation.

$414 million will be provided to schools to help reduce ride times to allow more students to become eligible for provincial support programs.

Education Minister, Adriana LeGrange says about 80,000 additional students province wide will be eligible for provincial transportation funding.

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“This increased funding will ensure Alberta student transportation system is safer for students, more affordable for parents and families and responsive to the funding needs of our school authority partners,” LeGrange said to reporters during a press conference.

In Alberta students grade 1-6 will now be eligible for government-funded bus service if they have to walk one kilometer or more to and from school.

Students grade 7-12 will be eligible if they have to walk two or more kilometers.

The province says the additional funding will also add around 100 new rural bus routes and ride times are expected to drop by nine percent.

Getting students to school in rural areas around Medicine Hat can, at times, be a challenge.

Angela Baron, Director of Communications with Prairie Rose Public Schools, says the division has been struggling finding enough bus drivers to fill all their rural routes.

“In many cases some of our kids are traveling upwards of 100 kilometers in just one direction and so when those bus routes cancel you can imagine the challenge there is on families trying to get those kids to school, so often they end up staying home,” says Baron.

A portion of the funding will add about 350 new school bus drivers, a six percent increase.

Ryan Boser, Chief Financial Officer with Prairie Rose Public Schools says the division faces challenges recruiting new rural school bus drivers.

The drivers have to complete an extensive two-week training program in Medicine Hat and pay for their travel expenses out of pocket.

“One of the main obstacles has been those additional expenses and not just the expenses but the time for them as well,” says Boser.

“The time for them to come here and get that training done, you know people are busy in their lives so it would be a lot easier to do it out where they are but that just hasn’t been a reality yet,” says Boser.

The Prairie Rose Public School Division contracts all bus drivers from Southland Transportation, First Student, as well as, using independent drivers.

Baron says the school division has also been actively trying to recruit new school bus drivers with community engagement.

“Our board has also advocated strongly for some of those restrictions around getting new drivers and driver training out there so we are hoping some of that work is going to start to show and we’re going to be able to get people trained a little bit faster, that would be one step in the process,” says Baron.

The province is also continuing their Fuel Price Contingency Program for the 2023-24 school year.

The program provides schools with extra money to address the higher cost of fuel.