Students must meet the eligibility criteria set out by the Boards through their transportation policy.
Students utilizing daycares and babysitters may use the bus if an existing stop on a regular home to school bus route is already available.
No; students are only eligible for service based on the transportation boundaries for the schools. Service will not be provided to out-of-area students under these circumstances. Transportation will not be provided even if a bus is servicing program students out of area with available seats.
Service may be provided to students who have short-term disabilities via a 19-passenger vehicle only if there is time and room available on the bus and medical evidence is forwarded.
Most students travel on yellow school buses but transportation may also be provided via the TTC, mini vans, or Taxi if the particular requests warrant this type of serviceand/or the policy stipulates it based on the grade of the studentor medical need
Students who are less than 8 years old, or weigh less then 80 lbs, or are less then 57 inches are required to be in a car or booster seat if they ride in any vehicle other then yellow school busses. This means mini vans, taxis, or the family car will require these seats to transport children to and from school.
The School Board contracts out our bus services to transportation carriers that recruit and train drivers. All drivers are required to have safety, first aid, and epi pen training and require a criminal background check before they get behind the wheel of the school bus with children on board.
No – Drivers are employees of the transportation carrier and not the Board. Carriers are under contract with the Board and as such both the carrier and driver must comply with the Boards policy and terms of the contract. A driver cannot and will not authorize requests. It would be inappropriate for a parent to place the driver in jeopardy through demands contrary to policy on their condition of employment. All requests should be made through the school and forwarded to the Transportation Consortium if the school is in agreement.
The school bus is an extension of the school and as such it is the school principal who is responsible for the discipline of the students. It is expected that the students follow not only specific bus rules but those rules and regulations that the principal has established at the school. Each school should create and administer a school bus behaviour manual.
It is the parents’ responsibility for their child’s safety and conduct while walking to, from and waiting at a designated bus stop.
All special needs students who have developmental disabilities must be met. The Transportation consortium has developed, in conjunction with our school bus operators, an initiative called the ‘Purple Equals Parent’ program or PEP. All students that need to be met at the end of the day are required to have a purple tag attached to their backpack so the driver is alerted to the fact that the student must be met. It does not have to be the parent; it can be an older sibling, a neighbour, or friend that the student recognizes. Please discuss with your child who is authorized to receive your child at the bus stop.
School buses have “compartmentalized designed seating” which is intended to protect students in the event of an accident. High Back seats help to redistribute impact forces from the head to the entire torso and the seats are situated closer together to negate any ejection possibilities. The floor is raised, the window glass is shatter-proof, and there are strengthened reinforcements along the sides of the bus. All these factors help to make school busses one of the safest modes of transportation in use today. Please see our section on safety for more information.
When a student’s disruptive actions on the bus are not modified it poses a serious safety risk for the driver and/or students on the bus. It will be at the Principals’ discretion when transportation privileges should be withdrawn.
Students who require specialized restraints on the bus are attended to by their parents or school staff who has an established relationship with the student. The driver will ensure that the restraint is securely fastened before moving the vehicle.
One of the most effective methods for reducing parental traffic around the school is to establish a walking school bus program. More information about this program is available on our Transportation Internet site under the ‘Walk’ menu.
Please raise the issue with the school Principal and your local parent council. In some cases there is school funding to purchase bike racks and the Facilities Department will work with the school to locate and install the racks where feasible.
Learning to use the TTC is a life skill required for anyone growing up in Toronto. Please review our brochure under the TTC menu for information and tips on preparing your child to use the TTC.
If you have signed up for the transportation portal and subscribed to the e-mail notification you will get e-mail updates of late busses that are posted by the school bus carrier. Information is also available on the public website at www.torontoschoolbus.org/school-bus-delays/. If there is no delay posted and the vehicle is not there please contact your local school bus operator. If you are unable to make contact, please contact the school. If you are unable to make a connection with either the company or the school please contact the transportation office and we will investigate where the bus is and an estimated time of arrival.