Some Quebec families must arrange their own ride to school as bus contract negotiations continue

The New Frontiers School Board southwest of Montreal says families will have to arrange their own transportation at the start of the year because there will be no buses available.

"We are also in the process of developing contingency plans to help support you," the school board says in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon.

"Given the hurdles we have all overcome in the last couple of school years, we had really hoped this one would start off smoothly. We deeply regret having to deliver this news."

The school board is based in Châteauguay, Que., and it is not the only education system without bus drivers this year unless the provincial government can conclude contract negotiations with transportation services in time.

And some parents don't have other options for their children's commute, said Corinne Payne, the executive director of the Québec Federation of Parents' Committees.

"It's important that both sides in this issue sit at the table and find a solution, because our children and our parents should not be held hostage," she said.

In a Wednesday morning statement, the Ministry of Education says it has appointed a new negotiator "in order to guarantee a reliable and safe transportation service to all students in Quebec."

"We are really moving up a gear," said Education Minister Jean-François Roberge. "We are entering a major blitz, I have confidence that we will find a solution."

He said negotiations started in May and several contract agreements have been reached. 

"There are contracts that are signed every day," he said.

Drivers in Montreal area without contract

Approximately 60 per cent of bus transportation contracts expired on June 30 provincewide. In Montreal, the situation is far worse.

Ninety-five per cent of school bus driver contracts in and around Montreal have not been renewed, according to Luc Lafrance, the president of the federation representing the private transportation companies, the Fédération des transporteurs par autobus (FTA).

The education minister indicated less than half of the contracts remain under negotiation, though he declined to give a precise number. Instead, he said the important thing is that all the contracts are signed before the start of the school year. 

The federation of Quebec school service centres, known as the Fédération des centres de services scolaires du Québec (FCSSQ) in French, said in a statement Wednesday that it is ready to "deploy contingency measures."

The federation says it is not willing to delay the start of the school year nor will it resort to distance learning.

Contingency options range from offering after-school childcare services so parents can pick them up after work, to relying on public transportation.

"It is important to specify that all the targeted measures will have student safety as their basic premise and will require the collaboration of everyone," said the federation's deputy president and CEO, Dominique Robert, in a statement.

The FCSSQ says that each school day without bus transportation saves about $5 million, which gives service centres leeway to fund replacement measures.

In a letter to parents this week, the Lester B. Pearson School Board said it is hopeful that an agreement will be reached before classes begin, but "it is important that we consider all possible scenarios."

"We are working with all the parties involved in the negotiations to ensure that everyone has access to school transportation in time for the start of classes. Our goal is to offer students the most normal back-to-school experience possible."