School buses are hitting the road for the final time today as the 2021-22 school year comes to an end.
Kent Orr, general manager of CLASS, the agency in charge of student transportation, says after two years of mixed in-person and online school, it’s been a busy nine months.
“Our school bus drivers across the district have had a rough couple of years, as everybody has, and they’ve really stepped up and pulled through, and we’ve appreciated that. We’re looking forward to a full year hopefully next year, that’s what we’re planning on and getting plans ready for that.”
Aside from their regular school routes, Orr says bus drivers have enjoyed being able to return to doing field trips, sport meets, and other charter events.
Safety remains a top priority, with amber lights being added to buses over the summer to help increase visibility and alert drivers when a bus is stopping next school year.
“You think about the two lane highways we’ve got, buses have to give some advance notice on stopping, so the amber lights will give that advance notice, hey there’s a stop coming out,” Orr explains. “When the red lights come out, you know the bus has stopped, the arm’s out, and there’s going to be kids crossing or boarding or de-boarding the bus at that point.”
The hunt is on for new bus drivers with recruitment and training taking place over the summer months. Anyone interested can reach out to CLASS on-line schoolbusjob.ca.