As students in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) prepare to return to school next week, a concerning situation has emerged for some families regarding excessive bus commute times. In particular, a group of students attending Pickering High School are facing an unprecedented change in their daily transportation, resulting in them potentially spending up to three hours a day on the bus, despite the school being just a 25-minute drive away.
Myrna Simpson, a parent of children enrolled at Pickering High School, expressed her astonishment when she reviewed the new bus schedule. According to Simpson, the route implemented by Durham Student Transportation Services (DSTS) now takes nearly 90 minutes each way. This unprecedented commuting duration means that her children will be on the bus for approximately three hours every day.
“When I initially saw the bus schedule, I was quite shocked because it’s twice as long as it was last year, and the duration is quite excessive,” Simpson shared in an interview. She voiced concerns about the challenges her children will face while commuting, such as extreme temperatures on the bus, noise levels, the absence of seat belts, and uncomfortable seating arrangements, all of which she deems “not an ideal situation.”
Other parents, such as Blanca and Steve Scouller, express similar worries. They are particularly concerned about how the extended commute will negatively impact their son Matthew’s sleep patterns, academic performance, and extracurricular commitments. Steve Scouller highlighted the absurdity of the situation, stating, “I work downtown, and his commute across Ajax, a relatively small town, is longer than mine via GO Train and TTC. I could not get over just how this was going to take.”
Attempts to communicate with DSTS about the issue yielded little hope for resolution. According to Blanca, when a concerned parent contacted DSTS, they were informed that the situation was unlikely to change. “They said there is nothing we could do. The time is the time, and that’s it,” Blanca recounted, noting that the explanation given was a shortage of school bus drivers.
Ajax MPP Rob Cerjanec pointed out that this situation reflects broader issues of provincial underfunding. “Frankly, it’s not right, and the province can step in and do a lot more on the funding side because school bus drivers, they’re making a little bit over $20 an hour. It’s not very much; it’s hard to recruit and retain those individuals,” he criticized, highlighting the systemic issues contributing to the driver shortage.
The advocacy group School Bus Ontario corroborated these observations, stating, “There is a chronic and severe driver shortage in Ontario and across Canada. School Bus Ontario is doing everything it can to help attract and retain new drivers to the profession.”
CityNews has reached out to provincial authorities for a comment but has not yet received a response. Meanwhile, the Durham District School Board reassured stakeholders that they are still in the process of finalizing bus routes and are actively reviewing options to reduce commute times for students.
Local trustee Donna Edwards has committed to addressing the issue, emphasizing the importance of student well-being in public transportation. DSTS also acknowledged on its website that its team endeavors to ensure that bus rides do not exceed 60 minutes each way; however, this timeframe does not account for potential delays due to traffic conditions or construction work.
