Disruption in Some School Transportation Services

The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education, said today that some independent school bus operators have indicated they will not be honouring their contracts to transport children to and from school when school begins on Wednesday, September 4, which means some parents may have to arrange alternate means of transportation for their children.

“Given the information we received this weekend, we felt it was important to give parents and caregivers advance notice that this disruption in service is a possibility," Minister Jackman said. "We certainly hope it can be averted. It is crucial that school districts, parents and students, have a safe and reliable school transportation service. We are, as always, prepared to talk to representatives of the Newfoundland and Labrador School Bus Operators Association (NLSBOA) and private operators on their concerns. Contracts previously awarded through an open and transparent public tendering process, however, need to be respected."

School boards in Newfoundland and Labrador have traditionally utilized a mix of board-operated and privately-contracted student transportation services to bus nearly 48,000 students to and from school each year. Budget 2013 provides $49.4 million to operate that service, an increase of $1.5 million over the previous year.

Minister Jackman noted that the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District was prepared to handle routes not covered by contractors as of Friday, August 30 with board-owned buses, but learned this weekend that other contractors are planning to withdraw services. Given the uncertainty of this withdrawal, all routes may not be able to be serviced in this manner. School districts, where they are aware, will advise which routes will be impacted, should some operators choose to withdraw services. As information becomes available, parents/guardians will be informed through school districts and/or by schools.

"The Provincial Government has made every effort to respond to the concerns of private school bus operators over the years - and we have met on several occasions in recent months in an effort to address their concerns," Minister Jackman said. "We do, however, treat the potential breach of contracts as a very serious matter and will work with the school districts to use every means available to us to minimize the impact on students and families."

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Media contact:
Paula Hayes-Butt
Communications Specialist
Department of Education
709-729-1692, 728-9194
paulahayesbutt@gov.nl.ca

2013 09 02                                                   5:40 p.m.