Calgary school bus provider says it's in 'better position' this year amid ongoing driver shortage

Calgary's primary yellow school bus provider says they're in a "better position" than they were last year with staff, but the city's larger school district says they're still anticipating impacts from the ongoing bus driver shortage this upcoming school year.

This time last year, Southland Transportation was making desperate pleas for more drivers amid a major province-wide shortage.

A couple months later, some families reported their kids were regularly waiting for the bus for up to an hour and a half.

The company's regional director Arjan Slagmolen says Southland is providing service for 575 Calgary routes this year and at this point, they're in good shape for drivers.

"Based on the commitments that drivers have made that said that they are going to return, we do feel that we're in a better position this year than we were last year," said Slagmolen.

"We don't want to be overly optimistic and say that there's no risk of routes not being covered. We do feel that we're in a good position."

Slagmolen says around 90 people are currently in training and previous bus drivers are set to return next week. He says he'll have a better idea of which routes will be staffed right before the school year begins.

Incentivizing with grants and retention bonuses

Alberta's driver training grants program, which launched this summer, is partially to thank for the uptick in drivers, says Slagmolen.

He says Southland has always covered the cost of training, and now eligible aspiring bus drivers can get some extra cash to complete it.

"But we have now introduced fully paid training, and we're hoping that that helps attract and retain those that want to join us."

Additionally this spring, the province removed mandatory entry level training (MELT) for Class 2 licensees to try to tackle the driver shortage.

Slagmolen says Southland also started offering a bonus this summer to help with retention.

"[It's a] $1,000 bonus that gets paid out at three months and nine months — $500 at each stage — hoping to add some incentive for people to stay with the program."

CBE anticipates continued impact, CCSD remains optimistic

The Calgary Board of Education says more than 19,000 students are registered for yellow bussing, up from 17,000 last year.

"We anticipate the ongoing school bus driver shortage being experienced across the province will continue to impact the transportation service provided to CBE families for the upcoming school year," said a CBE spokesperson in an email.

The school board will receive confirmed driver numbers from their service providers in late August and it's continuing to explore options to minimize impacts on students and families.

"As part of back to school planning we urge families to have a back-up plan for late or cancelled buses."

The Calgary Catholic School District says registration numbers are on par with last year, when approximately 3,700 students used yellow bussing.

In a statement, the Catholic board says it's optimistic that the new training grants will help with recruitment and retention.

"While it is early, we have received no significant notice from our carriers regarding any major issues for the start of this school year."

If a student qualifies for transportation but no service is available, families may qualify for a transportation subsidy to offset the cost of driving, said CCSD in a statement.

Both school boards say they expect registrations to increase come fall.