Omicron illness, isolation requirements cause local school bus driver shortages

Parents should be prepared for school bus delays, and even route cancellations, in the coming weeks as students return to in-person learning because the Omicron variant may cause drivers to be unavailable for work.

On Sunday evening,Wellington-Dufferin Student Transportation Services was advising parents via Twitter that some routes would be delayed an hour or more in the morning and evening due to staffing shortages.

The next morning all school bus routes were cancelled across Waterloo region and Wellington Countydue to a winter storm.

Finding enough drivers for all routes will continue to be an issue, say both BenoitBourgault, general manager ofStudent Transportation Services of Waterloo Region, andDavid Frier, the chief administrative officer for Wellington-Dufferin Student Transportation Services.

"The biggest challenge for us is dealing with the number of people that are in isolation because of the new variant," Frier told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.

It affects the entire system, he said. From the number of regular drivers, spare drivers even administrative staff who can step in, in a pinch.

"It's going to be day-to-day and week to week until numbers start going down," said Frier.

Drivers take on extra routes

Having enough healthy teachers was one of the reasons cited by Premier Doug Fordwhen his government decided to push back in-person learning by two weeks at the beginning of January.

The premier has also warned of 20 to 30 per cent absenteeism across all sectors, due to the highly-transmissible COVID-19variant.

"We're all seeing what's happening in all sectors of the economy in all regions of the world: high rates of absenteeism are causing real challenges in public sector absenteeism," said Education Minister Stephen Lecce in an interview with The Morning Edition's host Craig Norris.

LISTEN |Education Minister Stephen Lecce explains what the province has done to keep schools from closing from lack of healthyteaching staff.

In Waterloo region,Bourgaultsaid "we are dealing with a very fluid situation changing by the minute." He went on to write ina statement Monday afternoon that Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Regionhad enough drivers to cover every route but there will be delays.

"Please remember to support your school bus driver.If the driveris coveringa late route and isnot your regular driver, they have most likely already completed their regularly assigned route and are helping to make sure that your children can get to school on their route for in-person learning," wrote Bourgault.

He encouraged families to register for notifications to stay up to date on delays.

Frier said he's prepared to cancel routes if absolutely necessary, and if so, he said students would stay home and learn virtually or asynchronously unless parents can drive them in.

For now, Wellington-Dufferin is also mostly making do by having drivers do more than one run, said Frier. That's why some routes are flagged as being an hour or more delayed; the drivers are adding a second route after their first, to make sure everyone can get to class.

A spokesperson from the Upper Grand District School Board told CBC that the boardhas made arrangements for any students who are affected by a late bus.

She said students will be supervised while they wait to be picked up, and extra supervision hours will be added in the afternoons as needed on a school-by-school basis.