Around 140 school bus routes in Toronto cancelled Thursday due to ‘driver qualification’ issue
Posted October 17, 2024 12:26 pm.
Last Updated October 18, 2024 7:01 am.
Around 140 school bus routes were cancelled in Toronto due a “driver qualification” issue that prohibited them from working on Thursday.
The cancellations affected students with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) for transport to and from school.
“First Student has advised us that there are some driver qualification issues that will prohibit them from working today Thursday October 17th,” Toronto Student Transportation Group said in a post on X.
In a statement to 680 NewsRadio, school bus operator First Student said it recently added more than 100 new 28-passenger school buses to its Toronto fleet and those “buses require a different certification than the 24-passenger school buses that some drivers were operating.”
“We understand that even one day without transportation is a hardship for families and recognize the frustration these cancelled bus routes have caused, especially on short notice,” a spokesperson with the company said.
First Student said it is working on getting enough of the smaller buses from other locations to restore some service on Friday and all routes by Monday.
“We are in the process of securing enough of these types of buses from other company locations to restore all service for the Toronto Student Transportation Group by Monday,” the spokesperson added.
The TDSB told CityNews around 12 per cent of its bus routes were impacted, affecting 1,200 students within its board.
“We understand the significant inconvenience and disruption this caused for students, families, and schools who were provided very little notice by First Student about these route cancellations,” read a statement from the TDSB and TCDSB.
They added they’ve been notified there will be fewer cancellations tomorrow and anticipate service returning to normal on Monday.
“In the meantime, First Student has again committed to notifying families of any delays and cancellations as a result of this disruption.”
