Driver shortages, flu season lead to 56 cancelled school bus routes, including 18 in Clarington
Published April 21, 2023 at 9:26 am
The end of the school week, a chronic driver shortage and the flu season in full swing have all contributed to 56 cancelled school bus routes across the region today (April 21), including 18 in Clarington and a dozen more in Ajax.
Clarington schools seeing cancelled routes include Duke of Cambridge, The Pines, Orono, Clarington Intermediate, Courtice Intermediate, Hampton Jr, MJ Hobbs Sr and Newcastle Elementary, as well as Bowmanville High, Clarke High, Clarington Central Secondary and Courtice Secondary in the public school system.
Catholic schools with cancelled routes include St. Joseph, St. Stephen, St. Francis of Assisi and Good Shepherd.
In Ajax, Notre Dame, Lincoln Alexander, Lincoln Avenue, Ajax High, Pickering High are dealing with cancelled routes, while Whitby has 11 routes cancelled, affecting six schools: Sinclair, Julie Payette, Sir William Stephenson, St. Paul, St. Bernard and St. Mark the Evangelist.
There are nine routes cancelled in Pickering, with five schools affected: Pine Ridge, Father Fenelon, Dunbarton, Frenchman’s Bay and St. Monica (PM only). Dwyer and Eastdale high schools in Oshawa are contending with cancelled routes and there is a morning and afternoon route at Thorah Central in Beaverton cancelled as well.
All three local school bus providers – First Student, Stock Transportation and Century Transport – are experiencing driver shortages.
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