Sudbury student shares frustration with school bus cancellations

Denika Legault, a Grade 11 student at College Notre Dame in Sudbury, says frequent problems with school buses this year have sometimes left her in the cold.

Legault said her high school experience has been anything but normal so far.

“It's been pretty difficult," she said. "It's hard to keep stable grades because one day we’re online then were at school then we’re told to go to school without any transportation. So it's been pretty difficult, but we’re trying our best.”

Legault said there are currently no options for learning from home if students have to isolate or don’t have transportation. She said that is unfair.

“I’ve been left twice without a bus so far," she said.

"Once it was in the morning and I was waiting outside and it was like -40 outside and I waited outside for 20 minutes and it never came and there was nothing (from) the bus consortium about my bus.”

Renée Boucher of the Sudbury Student Services Consortium said the organization does its best to make sure all of the necessary information is available on its website. https://www.businfo.ca/en/

“Every morning on our website we post the cancellations under our announcements but we also have a section for delays, and so just a reminder for parents to verify,” said Boucher.

She said a driver shortage and constant sick calls are to blame for the cancelled bus routes in Sudbury, but said the situation is improving.

“We have four school bus routes that are being cancelled this week because of the driver shortage, so that is much, much better than before Christmas, so it's coming along," Boucher said.

"We are training drivers and keeping them behind the wheels of our buses. One of our biggest issues right now is drivers who are either ill themselves or they reside with someone who is symptomatic.”

She said last on Jan. 21, 28 routes were cancelled due to isolation rules. On Monday, it was 16. Boucher said she's hopeful this week will be better than the last.

But ultimately, she said the problem will only be solved once there are extra drivers on the roster to cover sick calls.