Rural Buses Not Running - All Day Tuesday November 16 UPDATE
November 16, 2021 -
Rural bus service has been cancelled due to the severe weather conditions and will not be running for both morning and afternoon runs.
Parkland School Division’s regional transportation system underwent some significant changes a couple of years ago. That included a re-design of the routes so urban routes would not be so dependent on rural routes which double as transfer routes in urban settings. Tuesday, November 16th was actually the first time where a significant number of runs were cancelled but only rural runs were affected while service remained on all of the urban routes.
Bus Status App
The first real snow storm of 2021-2022 was also the first time parents/guardians were using the Bus Status app for real-time notifications for bus cancellations, however we did receive some feedback where some confusion may have occurred. In a cancellation or delay scenario, our Transportation Services will utilize a phone notification system to generate an automated message that says your child's bus route is affected. This is your cue to go to the Bus Status app which is strongly recommended. Alternatively, you can bookmark our bus stats page of our website.
Once downloaded to your mobile device, you can tap on the buses to find and star the buses you would like to receive status notifications for. This will show you which of your child's bus routes may be affected. That may be one or all buses if 'home' and 'transfer' buses are in play.
Home vs Transfer Buses
Some of our rural buses will normally complete routes out in the country and bring rural students to urban transfer sites. That same bus may then be used to deliver students as a transfer bus to their designated school.
It is important to note that if your home bus is still running but a transfer bus is cancelled elsewhere in our regional system, there will always be a bus at one of our Transfer Sites that will get your child to their school in the morning. They will definitely not be stranded. However, rural students who attend one of our urban schools will need parent provided transportation for the journey home if those rural routes are cancelled for afternoon runs. If your child uses a rural bus to get to a Transfer Site to catch their ‘home bus’, alternate buses will be used to transport them home if they live in town.
Parents and guardians should ensure that students are dressed appropriately while travelling to and from school during inclement weather conditions. Temperatures can drop dramatically in the event of mechanical issues.
For the most up-to-date information, please visit our Bus Status page. You’ll find the quick link featured prominently in the top right corner of our website. Look for the bus icon and links to download the app to your mobile device.
For more information, contact:
Parkland School Division
Transportation Services
Email: transportation@psd.ca
Phone: 780-963-8452