THUNDER BAY — An ongoing shortage of school bus drivers is affecting transportation to school for numerous students in the Thunder Bay area this week.
In the case of one route serving two schools, the length of the cancellation of the bus run is unknown.
Student Transportation Services of Thunder Bay posted a notice Wednesday morning stating that 11 buses had been cancelled.
Routes were affected as follows:
- SOUTH 33 servicing St. Patrick a.m. & p.m., Pope John Paul II a.m. & p.m., École Catholique Franco-Supérieur a.m. cancelled Wednesday, Sept. 15 due to no driver available.
- SOUTH 43 servicing St. Patrick a.m. & p.m., Pope John Paul II a.m. & p.m., St. Martin a.m. & p.m., cancelled Wednesday, Sept. 15 due to no driver available.
- SOUTH 15 servicing Nor'wester View a.m. & p.m., Westmount a.m. & p.m., cancelled Wednesday, Sept. 15 due to no driver available
- NORTH 56 servicing St. Ignatius a.m. & p.m., La Vérendrye a.m. & p.m., cancelled until further notice due to no driver available.
Craig Murphy, manager of the school bus consortium, said in a recent interview that an industry-wide driver shortage has been an issue for the past seven or eight years.
It was exacerbated last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when a number of drivers chose not to work.
Even though many came back this year, Murphy said a lack of spare drivers poses a big challenge for the bus operators.
He said drivers may need to take time off for appointments at times.
In addition, safety protocols require drivers to do a self-assessment each morning, and if they feel unwell they are instructed not to come to work.
Muprhy said "We're certainly going to see that throughout the year...Unfortunately, the bus companies are short on spare drivers to cover all runs, and that will continue to happen on some days, I'm sure."
He advised students and parents to check the STSTB website daily for updates, and to always have a transportation contingency plan in place.
