As Montreal schools are set to welcome students back Tuesday, there are still some who won’t have a lift on a school bus.
The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) announced on Monday afternoon that several bus carriers that service its schools have not accepted the government’s recent offer, meaning that some students will not have bus service on Tuesday.
“This afternoon the school board will be contacting parents with the latest updates regarding bus service for their children’s schools,” the statement read.
“Three carriers who have approved the agreement will be offering service tomorrow on approximately 60 per cent of the LBPSB’s school bus routes, as well as a portion of the board’s mini bus routes, mostly on the island of Montreal.”
For those who don’t have access to bus service, the board says elementary schools will be offering extended supervised hours and high schools will be open up to an hour earlier so that parents/guardians can have greater flexibility in terms of when they can drop off children.
They are also encouraging parents to look into carpooling and public transportation.
It added that negotiations are ongoing and it is hopeful that agreements will be reached soon with all of its bus carriers.
Last week, Quebec’s education ministry announced that it had reached an agreement in principle with the bus carriers federation.
But it was then up to each service centre or school board to conclude an agreement with the carriers in its territory.
The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) and Riverside both announced last week that bus service would resume as usual.
As of Monday morning, the Sir Wilfred Laurier School Board told Global News it was also still in negotiations with bus carriers and warned that parents should prepare for a plan B.