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For Your Information
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FAQ
Following is a compilation of frequently asked questions organized by subject area.
Please click on a question to see the answer.
Bus Passes & Fees
Answer. Student transportation is provided at no cost to the district. The fees cover the difference between the cost of providing transportation and provincial student transportation grants. Fees are set annually by the Board of Trustees.
Answer. Yellow bus passes and subsidized ETS passes are available only at your child's school.
Answer. Yes, the student must pay full price for their pass, regardless of when they buy it, unless it is a replacement pass. For replacement costs, please see our Fee Schedule.
Answer. Yellow bus passes are sold on a monthly basis, similar to ETS bus passes. They can be used as often or as infrequently as needed, but the monthly price is the same.
Answer. Student Transportation instructs the bus companies that no child is to be left at a stop location in the morning, unless an abuse of this flexibility is being encountered and has been communicated to the principal. For the return trip home, an authorization by the principal will be sufficient. For a lost yellow bus pass, a replacement pass can be purchased at the school office at a discounted rate. This flexibility may not be available on ETS.
Answer. All students, with the exception of those receiving curb service, are required to show a valid bus pass each day, regardless whether it is a yellow or ETS bus. This ensures that the student has a valid pass and is eligible for bus service, and curbs the many forms of abuse and fraud that are possible without this daily audit. The principal may choose to suspend transportation privileges for any student who consistently fails to show a bus pass.
Eligibility
Answer. There is no age limit for yellow busing. Special Education Needs students, and those students who have access to Regular Program yellow buses may be transported via yellow bus from early education (pre-kindergarten) through to Grade 12. Alternative Program yellow busing is generally provided for elementary students only.
Answer. The School Act states that the residence address will be used for determining eligibility, and additionally, the pick-up and drop-off locations must also be within the boundaries to ensure eligibility.
Answer. To ensure the safety of our students, only those students who have submitted a Transportation Application Form and have been approved for yellow bus service are authorized to ride the bus. Students may not bring friends/siblings on the bus who are not authorized to ride the bus.
Answer. Conditional Rider Application Forms are available through the school and may be approved under the following circumstances:
- The student is willing and able to use an existing stop, knowing that the route will not be changed to accommodate them.
- The service is not guaranteed from year to year, but once approved, the service is guaranteed for the remainder of the school year.
- There must be sufficient space on the bus as determined by Student Transportation.
Answer. Only students that have been approved for special needs transportation are eligible to ride a bus designated for special needs. Funding for special needs transportation is paid per child for each day they ride the bus and is a much more expensive service to provide than other types of transportation.
Starting Service
Answer. Every neighbourhood in Edmonton has designated public schools. Although some newer areas of the city have not had any schools built yet, these neighbourhoods still have designated schools which may be in an adjacent or nearby neighbourhood that can accommodate the students. Every neighbourhood in Edmonton has a designated elementary, junior high and high school.
Neighbourhoods which have been provided with yellow bus transportation opportunities to an Alternative Program will have a designated school for the program. The Principal directs students with Special Education Needs to a school that best fits their needs and that becomes their designated school.
Answer. Use a boundary map for the chosen program to check for eligibility and availability of yellow bus services. Use the Find a School Tool to enter your home address to determine the designated schools for your neighbourhood.
Answer. You can look at our catchment area maps or use the Find a School Tool on this website. You can also call your child's school (or the school you're thinking of sending your child to). The decision regarding your child's eligibility is determined by Student Transportation prior to approval of service.
Answer. Contact the school office for information on service availability and to receive an application form. Once the application form has been submitted, Student Transportation checks for accuracy, inputs the information, assigns the student to a stop location and a route. The information will be communicated back to the school approximately 5 to 6 days prior to the change taking effect with the expectation that the information will be forwarded to the families 3 to 4 days prior to the service taking effect.
Answer. Applicants who applied for service for the start of the following school year, prior to the deadline in the spring, will receive a letter in mid-August providing the route information. Applicants who applied but are not eligible for busing also receive notification in mid-August. Applicants who applied for service after the deadline in the spring may not receive busing until late September or early October, with notification from the school sent home with the student approximately 4 to 5 days before the service takes effect. Throughout the course of the school year, new applicants and requests for changes from current riders will receive notification from the school 3 to 5 days before the new routing goes into effect.
Answer. It is unlikely that your child will get on the wrong bus, or be left behind at the school, as elementary schools assign someone to supervise students as they get on the bus. However, if your child does not arrive home as expected, call the school. The school will contact the yellow bus carrier to see if your child is still on the bus and can contact the district's security department. Remain at home while efforts are made to locate your child and notify the school as soon as your child arrives home. Teach your child to make sure they stay on the bus and notify the driver if they have missed their stop or if they've gotten on the wrong bus. The driver will notify their dispatcher and will make arrangements to have your child returned home safely.
Answer. Student Transportation encourages parents or guardians to meet the student at the stop location to ensure the safety of the child after getting off the bus. Only the youngest children will be kept on the bus in the event that there is no guardian to take custody of the child. In these instances, the child may be returned to the school, while contact with the parents is attempted. In cases where the parents cannot be contacted, the child may be transported to Emergency Social Services Crisis Unit for their safety.
Route Design
Answer. Yellow bus routes can be long due to the geographic area covered. Minimizing the student ride-times is a high priority, and therefore the necessity to maintain routes along the collector/main roads (which are often busy) is a necessary practice. We realize that in order to access yellow bus service, roads will have to be crossed, and that an escort for the children is prudent. Student Transportation encourages and promotes the practice of all students being escorted to and from the stop locations by a parent or guardian.
Answer. Edmonton Public Schools provides yellow bus services to elementary, junior and senior high students living in rural areas and neighbourhoods without a local school, and where Edmonton Transit service is not available or adequate, and where the walking distance to the designated school is excessive. Roadway design and access can restrict yellow bus service. Possible transitions from yellow bus service to Edmonton Transit are reviewed each year. Every school has an Attendance Area map showing the area in which school bus transportation may be available.
Answer. Student Transportation has service standards which range from door-to-door service to walk distances in excess of 400 meters. Decisions made by developers and approved by the City of Edmonton result in some neighbourhoods being designed or modified in such a way that walk distances are in excess of 400 meters. Every effort is made to provide stops within 400 meters of the student's origin or destination.
Answer. Ride-times are the biggest concern for parents and students. One method for reducing ride-times is for riders to walk a reasonable distance to a collector/main road. Bus routes which maintain the most direct routing, and the least turns and mileage, will have the shortest ride-times. Students who have a school in their neighborhood are expected to be able to walk to school, and it is necessary for students riding yellow buses to expect a short walk to a bus stop location. Special Education Needs yellow busing is provided as close to the home as possible, with constraints including the ability for a large bus to access the curb in front of the home.
Answer. Yes, if both locations are within the area served by the buses from that particular school, and as long as both locations remain consistent every day of the week.
Bus Arrival Times and Ride-times
Answer. The existing routes traveling to and from your home (or near your home) are an indicator of the ride-time that can be expected. Student Transportation staff may be able to tell you if this travel time is expected to increase, remain the same or decrease.
Answer. Student Transportation has service standards which range from 55 to 90 minutes. The majority of riders experience ride times of less than 75% of the maximum ride time standard. Please refer to Transportation Types for more information on the service standards associated with a specific type of yellow busing.
Answer. We recommend you take your child to the bus stop approximately 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.
Answer. Many factors can affect yellow bus route schedules, including:
- original schedule does not allow sufficient time
- recent changes to the route that the driver is not familiar with
- frequent changes that the driver must learn
- traffic disruptions
- weather conditions
- road construction and repair
- unruly or unsafe behaviour by students that require the driver to stop and correct
Every effort is made to maintain stable schedules and ensure schedule adherence. Please forward any concerns to the school office and Student Transportation will attempt to rectify the situation in a timely manner.
Answer. Our bus system is extremely reliable. However, given inclement weather and traffic delays, it is impossible to guarantee that buses will run on time, all of the time. In bad weather conditions, buses can be delayed by several minutes. Wait at the stop with your child for about 15 minutes. If the bus hasn't arrived, call the carrier listed on your route schedule. Our buses contain two-way radios and they are in contact with their dispatcher. They will then be able to tell you approximately what time the bus is expected to arrive. You may, however, have to make other arrangements to get your child to school. Inform your principal or Student Transportation if a bus is late or does not arrive. Because of the possible delays during extreme weather, please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately and that they have a plan in place, as well as somewhere to go, if the bus does not arrive.
Answer. Student Transportation will arrange to have messages aired on local television and radio stations.
Safety
Answer. School buses are equipped with more safety equipment than any other vehicle. These safety features include well-padded, high-back, energy absorbing seats, as well as special equipment for wheelchair restraint systems. School bus interiors are designed to reduce the chances of injury caused by sharp edges or body panels that may tear loose in a crash. There are also specific requirements for lights, mirrors, rollover protection, brakes and emergency exits. School buses have been proven to be the safest form of transportation for students when compared to any other mode of travel.
Answer. No. Additional safety features are only used on Special Education Needs buses. It is the joint responsibility of the Principal and the bus company to provide the appropriate equipment.
Answer. Student Transportation encourages and promotes the use of crosswalks for all pedestrian crossings. Drivers have the obligation to stop for pedestrians from the point at which the pedestrian stops at the curb and indicates that they wish to cross. Many crosswalks are enhanced with signage, road markings or crossing lights, making them the safest locations for roadway crossings. The blind spots around the school bus are extremely dangerous and should be avoided; the sightlines for crossing a roadway are reduced while a bus is stopped. A pedestrian crossing becomes significantly safer after the bus has moved away from the intersection, due to the increased visibility in both directions.
Answer. Traffic laws restrict the use of certain yellow bus warning lights and mechanical stopping arms in urban settings. Within the urban areas of the Edmonton, there are very few areas where using these devices is allowed by law.
Answer. Student Transportation can provide valuable input to the City of Edmonton's Transportation and Streets department regarding concerns and requests from parents and school staff. The City of Edmonton can be contacted directly regarding issues in your community.
Service Change Requests
Answer. Contact the school staff member who has been designated as a transportation contact by phone, e-mail, in-person or in writing. The school should be able to provide you with a timeline of when the change will occur, if it is indeed possible.
Answer. A new student using an existing stop does not change the route or add any significant time to the route. Any other change, such as adding a stop or changing the roadways being used, will increase the route time. Changes to routes will affect the existing riders. We must determine how these changes affect everyone else on the route, and prior to the change taking effect, all riders must be given new schedule information. Between September and December, thousands of requests are received, considered, and where possible or feasible, implemented. The remaining months of the year tend to have fewer change requests.
Answer. If your child is sick for a short period of time, you can contact the bus driver or bus company directly. However, if your child will be away for an extended period of time (i.e., illness, vacation, etc.) you need to inform the school. The school will then contact Student Transportation and the bus company. Depending on the length of your child's absence, the route may be adjusted to accommodate the change. Maintaining accurate rider records facilitates safe operations.
Answer. No. All requests for changes must be made through your school. Any arrangements made between parents and the driver might result in your child not being picked up or being dropped off at the wrong location if a substitute driver is on duty. The principal and Student Transportation are responsible for maintaining accurate information, which is only possible if changes are forwarded to the school.
Answer. If the school has been notified well in advance of the change, and the requested location does not change your child's eligibility, a new stop would be created at the new location and the old stop would be removed from the route. The updated schedule information will be made available by school staff a few days prior to the effective date.
Administration
Answer. Edmonton Public Schools has a policy of open boundaries which allows students to attend any school in the district. However, when schools have full enrolment they will enrol students from the immediate neighbourhood prior to accepting enrolments from outside the neighbourhood. Transportation may not be available or feasible to the school of choice. Ask at your school of choice and/or Student Transportation for specific details.
Answer. Edmonton Public Schools' Planning department provides attendance area designations and boundaries.
Answer. Student Transportation provides catchment area boundaries for the Alternative Programs which receive yellow busing. These boundaries are reviewed annually and include factors such as budgetary considerations, program demand, yellow bus demand, population and demographic trends, and roadway design. Alternative Program Transportation Catchment Area Maps outline these boundaries.
Answer. If your child is experiencing problems with other students while riding the bus, call your principal. If there are problems with the safe and courteous operation of the school bus, contact Student Transportation.
Answer. Student Transportation receives thousands of requests, commendations and concerns every year. We ask that all requests are forwarded through the school office. School staff will then forward the information to Student Transportation.
Answer. Parent Provided cheques are mailed out three times per year for these time periods:
- From the first day of school to December 31
- From January 1 to March 31
- From April 1 to the last day of school
ETS
Answer. Ensure that you have investigated the frequency of the service that you want to use. Generally, ETS service is provided on 15, 30 or 60 minute frequencies. If it is feasible to wait for the next ETS bus then it should arrive on schedule. In the event that the route that you want to board is the last trip, or will not arrive for 30 to 60 minutes, then other arrangements should be in place to transport your child to school.
Answer. Student Transportation meets with ETS on a regular basis to promote the best possible services for the districts' students. We provide ETS with valuable feedback that is received from stakeholders. You can also contact ETS directly with your commendations or concerns.
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