Halifax school board cuts back courtesy bus rides
'It's an accident waiting to happen and that's what has me really scared,' says mother of three
Halifax-area students who rely on so-called courtesy rides on school buses may be forced to find a new way to class, a prospect that has some parents worried about their kids' safety.
Halifax Regional School Board said it's cutting down on the number of seats available for students who live within walking distance of their school but are allowed to hop on buses passing by with empty seats.
Hannah Munday said without courtesy busing her two youngest sons, aged five and nine, will have to walk a "dangerous journey" along Highway 333 to Prospect Road Elementary School in Hatchet Lake.
"It's an accident waiting to happen and that's what has me really scared," she said.
She said there are no sidewalks on the stretch, the speed limit is 70 km/h and there are often cars driving much faster. She said there's also a "massive" road construction project in front of the school.
"It's just simply not safe for us to walk," she said.
Doug Hadley, a spokesperson for the school board, said he expects anywhere from several dozen to 100 students could be affected by the courtesy busing curtailment.
The change, he said, is due to the fact younger elementary students will no longer be dismissed 30 minutes earlier.
Last year, bus drivers would pick up younger students and do a route, then return for the Grade 3 to Grade 6 students half an hour later.
With one dismissal time this school year, there are fewer trips and fewer empty seats. Some bus routes have also been changed.
Munday lives 1.7 kilometres from Prospect Road Elementary School, but the cutoff for elementary students eligible for bus transportation is 2.4 kilometres from their school.
She knew her sons relied on courtesy busing and could be bumped, but said she was surprised to receive an email from Halifax Regional School Board less than 24 hours before the first day of school.
Under the province's Education Act, school boards across Nova Scotia receive funding to provide transport for students living 3.6 kilometres or further.
The Halifax board pays out of its own budget to bus students in Grade primary to Grade 6 who live between 3.6 and 2.4 kilometres from school.
"We know that's still quite a distance for our youngest students," said Hadley. "But we don't receive transportation funding below 3.6 kilometres.
"Dollars that we're spending on transportation would be dollars that we're not spending elsewhere, that would also support student learning."
He said the few seats available for courtesy riders will go to students who live furthest away from their school.