Transportation

We are committed to providing a transportation system with routes that are safe and efficient. Our objective is to find a balance between safety, financial accountability, efficiency and convenience, as outlined in the Provincial Best Practices Transportation Manual.

In September 2024, we began the gradual process of aligning our transportation system with District Policy and Procedure. The P olicy and Procedure focus on students who need transportation the most—particularly those who live more than three kilometres from their catchment school. For safety reasons, we continue to have a few bus stops that are within three kilometres of schools.

We are simplifying our routes by eliminating redundancy, we’re creating pick-up/drop-off hubs, and we’re working to align capacity that reflects demand from eligible riders.

As of September 2024, we have extended legacy status to existing Courtesy riders to support families with the transition. Any student who wishes to be a new Courtesy rider must now apply for a seat every September. If available seats are not needed by catchment students, optional riders will be selected based on priority criteria.

It’s important for families to know that we anticipate there will be limited and fewer seats available for Courtesy riders, as we continue to implement these changes, and monitor and adjust bus routes that meet both District Policy and Procedure and demand from eligible riders.

Transportation system review in 2023/2024 school year
SD 27 conducted a review of our evolving transportation system in the 2023/2024 school year, after more than 10 years without a formal review. We were aware of inconsistencies between our transportation system and the District’s policies and administrative procedures. Our objective was to find a balance between safety, financial accountability, efficiency, and convenience, as outlined in the Provincial Best Practices Transportation Manual.

We used a combination of many hours of on-the-ground visual inspections and technology that supports routing and scheduling in support of optimizing our transportation system.

Some of the activities undertaken include:

Commissioning a preliminary route analysis report from our bus software provider
A review of the findings in the report
A comparison to District policies and procedures
A comparison to other Districts similar in size and geography
A comparison to provincial standards
An on-the-ground review by District staff of the proposed new routes and stops
A letter emailed to each family in the District
Extensive conversation at committee and Board meetings
A community meeting at Mile 108 Elementary
Setting up a feedback mechanism with review of feedback and contact
Meetings and contact with RCMP, MOTI, and local politicians
Setting up an application process for courtesy riders for available seats
Posting current information on the District website
Contact with registered families about their specific route information

The Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees passed the following Motion in June 2024:

THAT the Board of Education accepts the Transportation changes to be implemented for September 2024 and the ongoing optimization and the alignment with Policy and AP 770.

SD 27 is working towards building our bus route to align with District Policy and Procedure while ensuring that our transportation system is safe, efficient, and focused on students who need it the most.

The 2024/2025 Transportation Schedule
The routes, bus stops and pick-up times are available online.

Route 45- 108 Mile – Telqua – 100 Mile House