Bus delays an improvement from past years
A continuing minimal driver shortage, mechanical issues and the pandemic continue to delay some school buses at HWDSB, but the situation is much better than in past years.
Still, HWDSB wants to thank students and families for their patience. We know that every delay is significant for a student trying to get to school on time.
On the first day of school, Hamilton-Wentworth Student Transportation Services (HWSTS) had 56 delays on 40 routes, impacting about 830 HWDSB students. In total, HWSTS has 471 routes serving more than 29,000 students at HWDSB and HWCDSB. Last year daily delays of were between 100-125 for the first month of school.
Last year, HWSTS was at least 69 drivers short in the first week of school and bus routes experienced rotating cancellations. HWSTS was only short four drivers Wednesday.
Delays are not unusual for a first day back at school. Most delayed buses were less than 15 minutes behind schedule, and operators are expected to address these through scheduling adjustments.
This week, severe delays are not expected to continue, because Wednesday’s were due to breakdowns and Thursday saw traffic disruptions.
School transportation has faced large-scale challenges for years, related to recruitment and retention.
For three years, the driver shortage resulted in daily late pick-ups and drop-offs for about 35 to 70 routes, impacting student learning time in school. A significant adjustment to bell times last year reduced the need for 27 buses.
Updated on Thursday, September 09, 2021.