CBE to reduce yellow school bus fees to $260 per rider next school year

Parents of students at Calgary public schools will see a decrease in busing fees for the 2023-24 school year, as the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) submitted its finalized budget to the province on Wednesday.

The board is also stepping away from its "mandated and "non-mandated" transportation fee structure, which was introduced in 2020.

"Non-mandated" riders, those who live within walking distance or don't attend their designated school, currently pay more.

Next year, all families will pay $260 per rider for school bus services, except for kindergarten riders, who will pay half the price for one-way service.

For some families, that will mean savings of up to $205 dollars per student.

"The increase in transportation funding enables us to decrease transportation fees to all students, and to charge the same fees for families, whether their child attends their designated school or one of our programs of choice," said CBE trustee Marilyn Dennis at a board meeting on Tuesday, when they finalized the budget.

"I continue to appreciate our waiver process to assist families who might be experiencing financial difficulty. We are public education, and we welcome everyone and serve everyone."

The change comes after years of changes to fees, and is a big decrease from the 2020-21 school year, when parents of non-mandated riders were paying $800 for busing.

The CBE received an additional $130 million from the provincial government from the previous year, totaling its budget to $1.5 billion.

Ongoing bus driver shortage

Jeff Park, executive director of the Alberta Parents' Union which represents around 20,000 Alberta parents, says he's happy about the fee reduction.

"Affordability has been a big concern for parents more broadly, so for parents to see some savings there is a big deal and is going to help a lot of people plan for the next school year," said Park.

Jessy Roos currently pays $930 a year for her two elementary-aged kids to get to and from their non-mandated school.

She welcomes the cost savings in September, but says it doesn't solve ongoing transportation issues.

"The bus system is absolutely chaotic. They don't have enough drivers."

Her kids' school bus often arrives up to an hour late, and the bus tracking app either doesn't work or tracks the wrong bus, she says.

"[These students] are being placed at the bottom of the priority list here with buses that are not running on time, buses that are breaking down all the time. And then the insult on the injury is parents are paying up to $465, or in the new case, $260 a year for service that's absolutely inadequate."

As school populations continue to grow, Roos says she's worried about what that means for safety — especially since the province removed MELT certification for bus drivers to alleviate the shortage.

CBE spokesperson Joanne Anderson says the board will continue to work with the province and school bus providers to navigate the shortage.

"We anticipate the ongoing driver shortage will continue to be a challenge," said Anderson in a statement.

Changes coming to 2024-25 school year

While busing fee reductions are set for September, CBE warns that big changes are coming to transportation for the 2024-25 school year.

Starting in September 2024, the province is lowering walking distances to one kilometre for elementary school students and two kilometres for Grade 7 to 12 students, says CBE. The current provincial walking distance is 2.4 kilometres.

"This will have a number of implications for CBE Transportation," said CBE spokesperson Joanne Anderson.

More schools and families will be eligible for bus transportation, and as more bus routes are added, "a number of schools" will need to change bell times, she says.

Anderson says CBE is anticipating additional provincial funding for that, but doesn't know yet if fees will increase again that year.