Pembroke – Unless contract negotiations resume, there will be no busing on Wednesday when 10,000 students are back to school in Renfrew County.
“There will be no school buses running next week unless we hammer out a deal in the next three or four days,” said Alan Jackson, the director of Renfrew County Bus Lines and a spokesperson for the six bus operators in the county. “But this has been ongoing since last year.”
He mused it is highly unlikely a contract can be negotiated since the Renfrew County Joint Transportation Consortium (RCJTC), instead of continuing negotiations, has been trying to get bus operators to deal individually instead of as a group. Meanwhile the operators are determined to bargain collectively as a group.
The operators are R&L Bus Lines, Holly Bus Lines, Vaudry Bus Lines, Musclow Bus Lines, Valley Transportation and Renfrew County Bus Lines. They transport students to schools with the Renfrew County District School Board (RCDSB) and the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board (RCCDSB). The transportation services are run through the consortium and this is where the bargaining has been occurring.
With the consortium making public an offer of a 12 percent increase on the table, the bus operators are stating they are still funded at least 20 percent below other regions while costs have risen between 30 and 70 percent since the pandemic. The two sides are far apart and negotiations appear to have broken down with the consortium also reaching out to other companies to secure transportation.
News was made public a few weeks ago there might be a disruption in busing and with the days until school starts becoming fewer and fewer, there has been little progress, Mr. Jackson said on Tuesday morning.
“There have been no negotiations going on,” he said. “The consortium has tried to meet with us individually.”
However, the operators are insisting on bargaining happening as a unit, just as they have been doing in the past, he said.
“They want to isolate us,” he said.
Operators are also frustrated to see the consortium moving to take away routes from operators during this process.
“They have farmed out routes from Renfrew County Bus Lines to taxi drivers so four of our drivers are now without work,” he said. “They are recruiting taxi drivers for minibus runs.”
Mr. Jackson said this is also a concern for him because the minibus operators are trained to deal with providing transportation to students and he questions if the same training will be provided to the taxi drivers.
A release from the school bus operators warned parents there may not be any busing until October. Mr. Jackson explained this is because they want everything finalized before buses are on the road.
“When we sit down to negotiate a contract, we want it to be complete,” he said. “We started talks in August of last year.”
The operators have had a tough several years. It has been hard to find drivers and the issue is salaries, he explained. However, the bus operators are constrained with what they can pay based on how they are funded. The uncertainty of the lack of a contract and scheduled busing for September has only made things worse.
“And now, we’re losing drivers,” he said. “Some are actively looking for other jobs and others have already been forced to secure other work to make ends meet for their families. This is making the situation even more critical, since it’s very difficult to attract new drivers to begin with.”
Mr. Jackson also pointed out the RCCDSB is especially aware of how expensive it is to run buses because they purchased their own bus to do a run in Deep River transporting students to a Catholic high school.
“And they pay their driver much more than we can pay,” he added.
With a week left until school starts and no busing contract in place, Renfrew County students are in a tough spot, he admits. To his knowledge there are a few others in the province in a similar position, but the majority of boards have busing in place.
“I believe there are two or three other consortiums having the same issue in Nipissing,” he said.
Meanwhile, the buses are prepped and ready and the drivers in place to go if a contract can be ironed out, he stressed.
“We are in the business of transportation,” he said. “Let us do what we do best.
“We are a crucial part of the education system,” he added. “Fund us as that.”
The operators are calling on the consortium to immediately return to negotiations and present the security of a long-term agreement that can provide funding stability for the parents and children.
Parents Warned
Parents received a warning from the consortium on Tuesday there will likely be no buses when school starts. The letter from RCJTC General Manger Justin Jeffrey stated the consortium has been working “to secure school bus service by any means available” for the last few months. He noted the budget allotment and offers made to the operators reflects a 12 percent funding increase.
“Unfortunately, the school bus companies have maintained that this 12 percent increase is not enough and there are no additional funds the school boards can offer without pulling dollars from classrooms and student programing,” he stated.
As well, “alternative options” will not be in place fast enough to see buses on the road from other service providers, his letter stated.
“This means a disruption to school bus service is likely at the start of the school year,” his letter stressed.
As a result, he encouraged students and families to explore alternatives to get students safely to school in the event buses are not running.
The consortium has issued a Request For Supplier Qualifications in hopes of securing transportation services from other companies, his letter added.
