Driver absences force 21 school bus cancellations in Milton, Oakville, Halton Hills

Drivers booking off mainly for religious reasons forced the cancellations of 21 school bus routes in Halton Region today (April 21).

As a result, several parents and students have had to find other means of getting to and from classes today.

A spokesperson for Halton Student Transportation Services confirmed the cancellations that affected 12 schools in Milton, four in Oakville and two and Halton Hills.

The spokesperson said the reason most of the drivers couldn’t work today was in observance of a holy day in their religion.

For a complete list of the schools and routes affected, you can follow this link.

Halton Student Transportation Services is a consortium of several transportation companies that carry students for both the Halton Catholic District School Board and the Halton District School Board.

The spokesperson confirmed there is an ongoing driver shortage in Halton but today’s situation was different because of the religious event. They added that most of the bus companies were aware in advance that the situation could affect the picking-up and dropping-off of students, but not enough replacement drivers could not be found.

When a route is cancelled it is up to the parents to get their children to school and pick them up at the end of the day.