Some Calgary parents are raising questions about the amalgamation of two school bus routes that carry children back and forth between Chinook Park School.
The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) said Monday that adjustments had been made to the busing at eight schools in January as part of the board’s work to find efficiencies with yellow bus routes.
The CBE said when the two routes were created in August, there were enough children registered to account for two buses.
However, further analysis showed only 34 students were riding one bus and 23 on the other.
Combined, the bus route will now provide service for 57 students, which the board says is in line with provincial guidelines of 70 students per bus.
The changes come after students and parents already adjusted their schedules in the fall when CBE made changes to the bell times at Calgary schools.
“We know these changes have impacted families and the choices they make for transporting their children to school,” CBE said in an emailed statement.
“All of the changes have been carefully considered and made to ensure we are able to provide safe, financially sustainable transportation for students.
A group of Calgary parents and students have rallied together to try to save the one bus route that’s being eliminated.
One of the issues parents are raising is that their children now have to ride about an hour each way, to and from school, along with having to catch the bus just after 7 a.m.
“These numbers make sense when you’re sitting in a board room making decisions about efficiencies, but when you’re the kid sitting on the bus for an hour in snowpants with your backpack on your lap, it’s not the same thing,” parent Jill Roberts said.
The changes will come into effect at the end of this week.
“All of the changes have been carefully considered and made to ensure we are able to provide safe, financially sustainable transportation for students,” CBE said.
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