Spare bus driver shortage tops annual report
PWPSD Transportation Director Ted Gobin noted in his Annual Transportation Report to the Board that the loss of eight bus drivers in the past year is placing a serious strain on the PWPSD spare driver list in the areas of Bezanson, Beaverlodge, Grande Prairie and Grovedale. Currently, three permanent spare drivers are covering a large portion of the Division, along with a new permanent spare recently hired in the Spirit River area.
The Transportation Department manages 100 routes. Due to rural depopulation, two routes were eliminated for the 2019-2020 school year – one in Eaglesham and one in Woking. Minor adjustments to other existing routes reduced any negative impact on families, keeping pick-up and drop-off times in line with other similar PWPSD routes.
The pilot busing project servicing Westlake Village subdivision within the Whispering Ridge Community School attendance area has been extended for the current school year. Mr. Gobin recommended making it a permanent route as it ensures that pick-up times in the entire attendance area occur after 7:00 a.m.
The earliest pick-up throughout the school division occurs at 6:55 a.m. for one student, who also has the latest drop-off at 5:10 p.m. Average pick-up times for a quarter of PWPSD bus students occurs between 8:01 a.m. and 8:15 a.m.
PWPSD Transportation is a certified as a Modified Entry Level Training (MELT) School, with Mr. Gobin serving as Senior Driving Instructor, supported by five driving instructors. He plans to hand this duty off in the upcoming year to another driver who has gained more instructional experience. PWPSD has sent 16 student-drivers through the MELT program – one of the highest driver training ratios among school divisions in the province – nine of which have been internal to PWPSD, with the rest employed at other school divisions and First Nations communities. The rate for external driver training is set at $3,000 per student-driver, creating a new revenue source for PWPSD.
PWPSD's fleet of 144 yellow school buses includes eight new buses purchased this year, one of which is equipped with a wheelchair lift. The price of a new school bus increased over last year, due in part to the steel tariff. PWPSD will retire nine aging buses this year, bringing the fleet down to 135 units, including five white buses, a 32-passenger bus, a 21-passenger bus, and three 18-passenger buses. Mr. Gobin recommended replacing the white 21-passenger buses in the next year with a larger 32-passenger full size bus.
The Alternate Arrangement Request Form, used by families to access busing to day care centres, has led to buses reaching full capacity in Wembley, Beaverlodge and Sexsmith. Some families were turned away, including some Junior Kindergarten students. Many parents are waiting until late August to make requests for alternate arrangements.
Bus passes generated $14,000 in revenue last year. Passes provide service to approved students who live in areas that fall below the 2.4 kilometre walk limit mandated by Alberta Education.
The department bid farewell to retiree Brian Birkland and welcomed his replacement, Dewey Evans.
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