Transportation

At Parkland School Division, student safety is our top priority. We operate one of the largest student transportation systems in the province and are responsible for safely busing more than 7,000 student riders, who collectively travel over 19,000 kilometres each school day. Our regional transportation system serves not only our division but Evergreen Catholic Schools, other neighbouring jurisdictions and some local private schools.

Contacting Transportation Services

Transportation Services Office

For general inquiries, please call the Transportation Services Office, which is located in the Centre for Education and open from 8am-4:30pm, Monday through Friday (excluding statutory holidays and summer hours - please see our Calendar & Events page for specifics).

Office Number: 780-963-8452

Parent/Guardian Hotline

In the case of a student who has not arrived at a destination as scheduled, we encourage parents to consider the following before calling our Parent/Guardian hotline, which is active on school days from our scheduled first pick up in the morning to our scheduled final drop off in the afternoon between the hours of 6:30am-5:30pm.

Checklist:

  • Have you checked the Bus Status page to see if the bus is running late or cancelled?
  • Is your child in an after school program? (e.g. volleyball, running club, etc.)
  • Do you have Alternate Seat Transportation arrangements and is there a chance your child went to the destination scheduled for an alternate day? (e.g. daycare, dayhome, mom or dad's home (in shared custody situations), etc.)
  • Has someone else potentially picked them up? (e.g. grandparent, other parent, friend, etc.)

Parent/Guardian Hotline: 780-591-5567

Safety

In Parkland School Division, we are committed to providing safe and caring environments for all students to learn, and that starts the moment a child boards a bus in the morning. For more on this topic, check out the Bus Safety section of our website. Parents are also encouraged to review the information contained in the School Bus Operations Parent Handbook

 

Transportation Funding

In the province of Alberta, transportation funding for students is distributed to school boards using formulas that take many things into consideration. There’s a lot of math involved, but the most important number to remember is 2.4 km.

The province decides whether or not a school board will receive money to transport a student based on the distance that that student lives from their designated school.

If you live more than 2.4 kilometres away from and attend your designated school, the school division will receive grant funding from the province to operate our Transportation Services system (i.e. your child is eligible for funding).

If you live less than 2.4 kilometres away from your designated school, NO money flows from the Government of Alberta to the school division to cover the transportation of your child (i.e. your child is ineligible for funding).

Legislation & Policy

Student transportation in Alberta is legislated under the Education Act and the Student Transportation Regulation.

Of note:

  • Provincial transportation funding exists beyond 2.4 km from the primary residence to the nearest school along the shortest route.
  • Boards may charge fees to offset the cost of transportation.
  • The system of transportation must be self-sufficient, as fees received for transportation are protected and cannot be transferred to offset other costs.
  • Private school students are not eligible for transportation funding.
  • The distance of a residence from a school or from a bus route is the shortest distance measured along a traveled road or public right of way between the school site or the bus route, as the case may be, and the nearest roadway access at the boundary of the quarter section or lot on which the student’s parent resides.
  • School boards are NOT mandated by legislation to register students with multiple or alternate pick-up and drop-off locations. 

We are a regional transportation provider, and we are committed to the safety and wellness of all students in our care. We recognize that our families appreciate the level of service we have been able to offer; this service would be significantly reduced or even terminated without receiving full cost-recovery through user-based fees.

Fees

The Fees & Allowances Schedule are reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees and are traditionally approved at the Regular Board Meeting in March.

For more, visit our Fees page.

Space is Now Limited

When a parent or guardian reserves multiple locations for pick-up or drop-off, this occupies a seat on multiple buses even when its not being used.  (For example, if a child stays with mom one week, dad on alternate weeks and a daycare each afternoon, and all locations happen to be on different bus routes, that individual child is taking up three spots on three different buses at all times.) 

Transportation Services registered capacity is currently approaching full.

School-of-Choice Transportation

Note: Once a Principal has granted approval to register at a school other than a child's designated school, transportation arrangements are the responsibility of the parents.

Bus transportation will be provided for students who choose to attend a school other than their designated school, provided:

  • There is space available on the bus
  • The bus does not have to be diverted from the regular approved route
  • The receiving school has the space available to accommodate the child
  • That applicable cross attendance area fees are paid

For further information, visit the School-of-Choice page.

Note: Fee Waivers are not available for cross attendance area transportation.

Temporary Busing Arrangements

Temporary busing arrangements (two weeks or less) will be considered on an individual basis with the approval of the Director of Transportation Services.

Parkland is committed to providing a safe bus ride for all students, and provides all bus operators with extensive training and support. All students learn how to ride the bus safely.

For the latest information on bus delays or cancellations, please visit our Bus Status page.

Connecting you with the right person, the first time, is our priority.

Did you know?

  • Parkland School Division does not receive funding to transport a child that lives less than 2.4 kilometres away from and who attends their designated school.
     
  • The cost to transport a student (Grades 1-12 living less than 2.4km from their designated school) for 182 days of learning works out to $1.44 cents per bus ride. ($525 / 182 days / 2 trips per day). 
     
  • The Board Approved proposed increase to unfunded passengers works out to an extra 41 cents per day or 20.6 cents per ride.
     
  • The cost to reserve an alternate seat for an additional pick-up/drop-off location for a child will be $2.88 per day or less than a medium latte from Tim Horton's.

Who do I call for...

School Attendance Areas:

Phone: 780-963-8452 
Email: Transportation@psd.ca

Student Transportation:

Phone: 780-963-8452
Email: Transportation@psd.ca 

General Parkland School Division Information:

Parkland School Division Centre for Education
4603 - 48 Street
Stony Plain, AB T7Z 2A8
Phone: 780-963-4010 
Toll Free: 1-800-282-3997 (only in Alberta) 
Fax: 780-963-4169