Transportation

Every day throughout the school year, the South Shore Regional School Board's 91 school buses safely transport more than 6800 students of all ages to and from school.

However, safety doesn't just happen. It depends on the skills, experience and good judgement of bus drivers who must be aware of rapidly changing traffic conditions, watch students entering and exiting at each bus stop and maintain the bus schedule. It's a challenging job, but parents and students can help make it easier by sharing responsibility for school bus safety with the driver.

Parents and guardians can make the driver's job easier by:

• Teaching safe, acceptable behaviour to their children.
• Ensuring that their children are at the bus stop on time.
• Having someone meet younger or physically challenged children at the bus stop.
• Disciplining their child if there a reports of misbehaviour on the bus.
• Directing questions about bus stop locations or schedules to the Transportation Officer (541-8253) or the Dispatcher (541-8252), rather than the bus driver.
• Ensuring that their children are waiting at their assigned bus stop five minutes before scheduled pick-up time. Bus drivers have to maintain the schedule and cannot wait for late students.

Students can help by behaving in a a responsibile, respectful manner at the bus stop and on the bus, and by listerning and responding to the driver's instruction.

Students should:

• Remain well back from the road until the bus has stopped and its loading doors are opened.
• Board the bus in a single file, without pushing or shoving. As a courtesy, older students should allow younger students to board first.
• Sit in their seat immediately after boarding the bus and remain seated whenever the bus is moving.
• Sit in their assigned seat, if there is a seating plan for the bus.
• Treat each other with respect. Teasing, name-calling and foul language are not acceptable and will not be tolerated.
• Ask the driver's permission before opening a window. No part of the body may extend outside the window.
• Keep noise levels low so that the driver can concentrate on driving the bus.
• Use the utmost care when carrying objects such as music instruments and skates onto the bus, so as not to injure other students. Only items allowed on school property are permitted on school buses. Carry on items must be stores in a canvass bag and be small enought to fit on the student's lap or on the floor, between the student's legs.
• Keep the aisles clear of all obstructions - books, lunch boxes, legs and feet, gym bags, backpacks and so on.

Unacceptable behaviour is anything which could endanger safety. This includes unwillingness to stay seated; refusal to follow driver instructions; fighting, poking or striking another students; throwing objects on the bus; vandalism; loud talking or yelling; littering or eating on the bus; and using tobacco or playing with a lighter or matches.

Drivers will report any discplinary problems on their buses to the school principal, who will determine what disciplinary action will be taken and will advise the student and parents or guardians accordingly. The principal can temporarily suspend students from riding the bus and, for continued misbehaviour, may permanently withdraw bus privileges.   

General questions about student management should be directed to the school principal, while the Transportation Officer (541-3056) should be contacted for questions about bus stops. Inquiries about buses running behind schedule, children missing the bus and articles lost or left on a bus should be directed to Dispatch (541-8252).

Concerns about or persistent difficulties with a driver should be brought to the attention of the Transportation officer (541-3056).

The board's transportation service is only available to students registered and living within a school's catchment area.