Some student transportation in west end of Ottawa could be disrupted due to driver shortage: OSTA

The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) is facing challenges as it plans transportation services for the upcoming school year.

Vicky Kyriaco, the chief administrative officer (CAO) and general manager of OSTA, told The Sam Laprade Show on Aug. 29 , the organization worked through planning, negotiations and concluding contracts, over the summer months.

So far, Ottawa’s school bus authority finalized deals with nine out of 10 local school bus companies, and the one holdout operates several routes in Ottawa’s west end.

“We weren’t able to conclude one contract which means for the first day of school, quite a few students out in the west end will not have any transportation,” said Kyriaco.

But she added, there’s some good news. The Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario (STEO) and area school bus companies have reached a tentative agreement ahead of a new school season.

OSTA hopes that deal will help in its negotiations, as the company they have not signed an agreement with was one of the companies negotiating with STEO.

While contracts with transportation service providers for both yellow school bus and van service came up for renewal, negotiations followed. OSTA was able to secure 75 million dollars in funding and contracts with service providers were concluded, with the exception of one contract.

During the upcoming school year, the organization plans to review service delivery within the provincial transportation funding formula, which prioritizes needs and distance to schools for equal access to student transportation across Ontario.

“The overall picture is not looking good,” explained Kyriaco. “We have about 130 drivers we need to recruit that’s going to affect about 300 runs.”

She goes on to say they’ll be posting more information on the OSTA website later today, with further information for parents. This includes where to pick up single ride vouchers if they don’t have access to a yellow bus within the urban transit area.

Ottawa Student Transportation Authority plans to make changes to the transportation system, as they have each year since 2020, she added.

“We have to wait and see which drivers are coming and which routes are going to run so that we can then make those changes,” explained Kyriaco.

While some parents struggle to make alternative arrangements, the transportation authority said they hope parents will come together and collaborate – like coordinating car pools.

The organization said they will prioritize families in need, who are unable to send their kids to school without student transportation. This includes sending vans to accommodate families needing support.

“We know in rural areas, there’s not a lot of technology, so attending virtually isn’t necessarily an option,” she said. “So those are the areas we really want to concentrate on and we’ll work with the schools to identify those families who really need that help.”

OTSA faced significant challenges during the 2022-2023 school year, where a staffing shortage caused bus routes to be cancelled, with some parents notified only hours in advance.

According to the transportation authority, they saw a shortage of nearly 120 drivers during the previous school year, and yet, there was only a handful of students who didn’t make it to school.

She attributed this school bus driver shortage to Ottawa’s labour market – where there’s a vast number of job openings across the city, with not enough people to fill them.

But OTSA is facing more than a driver issue – there is also a disagreement about costs, as they face rising expenses. The Ottawa Catholic School Board said contract negotiations are ongoing.

“When you start recruiting and you have to add more money and the funding doesn’t match rising costs, there’s a gap and it’s hard to bridge that gap,” added Kyriaco.

OSTA is calling on those interested in becoming school bus drivers to visit driveyellow.ca with more information on how to apply, areas they’re recruiting, testimonials, and more,

Opening of the OSTA’s Parent Portal has been delayed until tomorrow, in which parents can find more information on bus routes.