Transit authority says there's still a shortage of 71 school bus drivers in the Ottawa area

The hiring process typically takes four to six weeks. OSTA is also working with the Ministry of Transportation to expedite applications.

Published Oct 05, 2023 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 2 minute read

The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority is amplifying its DriveYellow recruitment campaign, relaunched in May, in the hopes of generating more applications. Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA

The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority still needs 71 more school bus drivers, but that’s down from 130 at the beginning of the school year, the school bus authority said in an update on the situation Thursday.

OSTA and families that rely on school buses have been grappling with school bus cancellations since the beginning of the fall term, when parents of about 7,500 students learned that their school buses had been cancelled because of increased fuel prices, the difficulty of hiring drivers and a bus company that did not renew its contract.

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As part of an on-going recruitment campaign, school bus operators have received 332 applications, which were forwarded to operators for further processing, OSTA said in Thursday’s update. Twelve drivers have been hired, and 20 others are in training.

The hiring process typically takes four to six weeks. OSTA is also working with the Ministry of Transportation to expedite applications and get drivers on the road as soon as possible. OSTA is also amplifying its DriveYellow recruitment campaign, relaunched in May, in the hopes of generating more applications.

“When OSTA signs a contract with a transportation provider, that provider is contractually obligated to provide enough drivers to meet the transportation needs of the school boards,” OSTA’s statement said. “Due to the driver shortage, the providers are penalized through withheld payments for services not provided.”

The OSTA board of directors is repurposing the withheld payments to fund other solutions that result in new, available drivers from other transportation operators in the Ottawa region.

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Meanwhile, there have been reports of families facing financial difficulties because of cancelled buses as parents take time off from work to drive children to school. The Ottawa Catholic School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board are encouraging families facing crisis situations to contact their school principals.

“The principals will work with these families to find solutions to help them address their individual concerns,” OSTA said.

On Monday, OSTA’s board announced that general manager Vicky Kyriaco was taking a leave of absence. On Wednesday, it announced that Cindy Owens, a former Catholic board principal and superintendent, would be the interim operations manager, effective next Tuesday.

“Over the past 48 hours, the OSTA board of directors has been working to implement solutions quickly and effectively,” said the OSTA, which pledged to keep families better informed.

One measure announced Thursday involved a new parent and community subcommittee that will act as a platform for the OSTA board to keep the public updated. The subcommittee is to include members from OSTA, the two school boards, parents, operators, retired bus drivers and local political leaders.

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Cheri Nixon and Jennifer Bugden, co-chairs of OSTA Bus Cancellations, a Facebook group with more than 1,400 members, have already been invited to join the subcommittee.

“We’re happy with the update. It’s more information than we’ve had since this whole thing started,” Nixon said Thursday.

“We’ve been asking all along for parents to have a voice. If feels like there will be a more inclusive voice to get to some solutions. It feels like there’s some forward motion.”