Pembroke – With about three weeks left to go before the school year starts, bus operators in Renfrew County are without a contract and there are fears 10,000 students will be without much needed school bus service with parents scrambling to make plans for alternate transportation.
“Our buses are certified ready to go; our certified drivers, who are trained, dedicated professionals, are ready to go and we know from years of experience that our Renfrew families are ready to go,” said Mark Allan, a spokesperson for the local bus operators. “But without a contract, buses won’t run.”
The operators are refusing to send buses on the 200 routes covered to bring students to Renfrew County District School Board (RCDSB) and Renfrew County Catholic School Board (RCCSB) schools unless they have a contract which provides a substantial increase which would factor in operational increases they face of between 30 and 70 percent. It is an ultimatum the boards are taking seriously and on Monday parents were notified they might want to make plans because there may not be any bus service for the first day of school in September – or anytime after that until a new contract is signed.
The buses serve a vast area with a widespread population. Bus routes of 90 minutes are not uncommon and due to staggard bells, the buses are often seen travelling the county backroads picking up high school students early in the morning and dropping off the final elementary school students late in the afternoon.
During this impasse, the bus operators have also gone public and are asking the province to step in. They feel they are being short changed and are calling on Minister of Education Todd Smith to “fix broken funding protocols that have left the Renfrew County Joint Transportation Consortium (RCJTC) unwilling to negotiate fairly.”
Blaming skyrocketing costs, the bus operators state they must have a significant increase in compensation. They noted new buses cost 71 percent more than they did four years ago and bus parts are 50 percent more expensive. Wages are up 38 percent and insurance has increased by over 30 percent, the bus operators state.
Alan Jackson of Renfrew County Bus Lines confirmed all school bus operators contracted with the RCJTC are involved in the negotiations and united in their stance.
“As operators, we just wanted to do what we do best, and what we have done for generations – transportation of your precious cargo safely and in a timely manner to and from school,” he said. “But inflation and real cost of daily operations don’t align with funding that’s being offered.”
On Monday, the RCJTC, a non-profit organization set up between the two boards, cautioned parents to consider alternate transportation plans.
“You need to be aware that buses may not be running for the first day of school on September 4, in order to consider what other options may be available,” a letter from RCJTC General Manger Justin Jeffrey on Monday stated.
“We understand this may be stressful news to hear over the summer, but we want to make sure students and families have time to plan ahead,” his letter continued, adding the consortium is exploring “all options” to secure student transportation services which may include exploring alternative companies to service our bus routes.”
Massive Increase
In a media release, Mr. Jeffrey noted while the consortium has immense respect for the bus drivers, the issue is the “massive increase to rates the school bus companies are requesting.”
He pointed out the RCJCT has been negotiating and offering increases.
“We have already offered unprecedented and substantial increases. Meeting those requests is impossible within the existing transportation budgets without pulling dollars from schools and student programming,” he said.
The RCJTC update states the consortium “has negotiated contract rates annually, providing competitive rates considering the rural nature of our area and the per student funding amount provided by the Ministry of Education, in addition to the recruitment and retention bonuses that come from the ministry and are paid directly to school bus service companies.”
“While school boards are publicly funded, school bus service companies are for-profit companies,” a release from the RCJTC stated on Monday. “Their demands exceed transportation funding received by school boards and are putting increasing pressure on already strained school board budgets.”
The release goes on to say meeting the demands of school bus service companies is not possible “without taking dollars from programs, services and operations that directly impact classrooms.”
While the release notes there have been years when the contract rates were not finalized by the start of the school year, this year operators are unwilling to provide busing on the first day of school. As a result, the RCJTC is also “exploring all options” including looking at alternative companies.
“Paltry” increases
Although the consortium refrained from introducing exact dollars or increases, the bus operators were more forthcoming. Bus operators stated they have received “paltry” funding increases of zero percent in both 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 and an increase of two percent the following year and four percent last year.
“Minister Smith must fix the broken funding protocols that have forced RCJTC to issue an ultimatum to operators – to accept a contract with inadequate funding or lose their bus routes and contracts,” said Mr. Allan. “This isn’t fair negotiating.”
Local families could be left stranded without bus service this year, he added.
A release from the operators also said the RCJTC “seems to be sitting on reserves” in this process as the operators try to work out a fair deal. It was noted the offer of a 12 percent increase by the RCJTC was woefully short of the increase in operational costs.
“Bus operators in neighbouring jurisdictions are receiving rates up to 20 percent higher than in Renfrew County but costs to operate buses are the same,” Mr. Allan stated.
Joint Statement
The directors of education for both the affected boards also issued a joint letter to parents, noting there is a possibility of bus service disruption in September. Signed by RCCDSB Director of Education Mark Searson and RCDSB Director of Education Kristen Niemi, the letter noted the RCJTC offer is the extent of what they are able to provide without draining dollars from schools or programing.
“We have the utmost appreciation and respect for the local school bus drivers who play an important role in our communities and the educational experiences of our students,” the letter stated. “In prioritizing the needs of students and their families, RCJTC is asking that the school bus service companies agree to continue to provide student transportation service for the start of school while they continue discussions.”
