When a School District 27 bus driver calls in sick finding a replacement can be difficult if not impossible.
Despite SD27’s best efforts a shortage of qualified bus drivers makes cancelling bus routes at the last minute unavoidable. That was the case for Ashley Finlayson’s children on March 9 when they found out in the middle of the day they couldn’t take the bus home.
“I did not know about it because I don’t always check social media first thing in the morning and if it’s a nice bright sunny day, I’m not going to think to check the bus garage to see if there’s any cancellations,” Finlayson said. “The first day it happened my son called me from school saying ‘mom the bus has been cancelled’.”
Finlayson said the situation is frustrating because while she can drive her children to the school, she relies on the bus to take them home. SD27 director of operations Patrick McCarron said the school district is aware of the problem and that their number one priority is trying to get students to school.
“Before we cancel a bus we have our dispatchers driving, sometimes we have managers driving as well. If a route needs to be cancelled it is a last resort,” McCarron said.
He noted that the shortage of drivers is not unique to the Cariboo-Chilcotin.
“It’s not just in the 100 Mile area. It’s district-wide and actually, when I talk to my colleagues in the province it’s a general labour shortage for suitable candidates. It’s just general challenges across the province.”
McCarron said that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people look at these types of jobs. He cannot explain why but said despite these challenges they are still actively recruiting.
“When we find suitable candidates, we are definitely interviewing them,” he said.
Potential candidates must fill the legal requirements of being a school bus driver including having a class two license and an air brake endorsement. Bus drivers are the first people students make contact with every morning so McCarron said a big part of the job is dealing with children and the public.
This was the first time her children’s bus has been cancelled, said Finlayson. Thankfully she said her children are able to walk to her place of work from 100 Mile Elementary.
However, people out in the Bridge Lake or Forest Grove areas might not be so fortunate, Finlayson said, especially if they cannot find alternate transportation.
“They’re going to miss out on school, on work, on the socialization. Parents are stressed out right away in the morning trying to scramble to figure out childcare or whatever they’re trying to figure out,” she said. “Not everybody’s kids are in high school that can take care of themselves. What if they’re in kindergarten? Kindergarten kids are not just going to walk from school to mom and dad’s work.”
When needed, McCarron said SD27 has dedicated staff who reach out to parents in the event of a bus cancellation.
“We do the best we can.”
fiona.grisswell@100milefreepress.net
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