A community update from the Renfrew County Joint Transportation Consortium (RCJTC) says school bus service will likely be disrupted for the start of the upcoming school year.
That will impact the Renfrew County district public and Catholic school boards.
According to a social media post, the RCJTC has worked to secure school bus service within the budget allotted to student transportation.
This budget allotment, and the offers made to the school bus companies, reflects a 12 per cent funding increase that the boards advocated for and secured from the Ministry of Education for the 2024-2025 school year, according to the post.
The consortium said school bus companies believe the increase is not enough, and there are no additional funds school boards can offer.
There has been no movement from any of the school bus service companies that would lead to agreements on new contract extensions and alternative options will not be in place fast enough to see buses on the roads from other service providers, the RCJTC said.
This means a disruption to school bus service is likely at the start of the school year.
“I completely understand the frustration of families and I understand in our rural context the impact disruption to school transportation is going to have, and how complicated that is going to make families lives,” Justin Jeffrey, GM of the RCJTC, told My Barry’s Bay Now.
The consortium encourage students and families to explore alternatives to get students to school. Meanwhile, the consortium is trying to secure transportation services from other companies.
Jeffrey said he would work tirelessly to ensure transportation is in place as early in the school year as possible.
More information can be found here.
