Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / According to an Oct. 5 memo from the transportation department, the Chilliwack School District says a province-wide shortage of bus drivers is being felt here in the Chilliwack School District and mirrors challenges that are felt in many sectors, including education staff. SD33 says that it is working hard to address staffing issues without impacting services, but does anticipate some possible service disruptions and bus route cancellations in the coming days.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

SD33 bus driver shortage

Chilliwack School District grappling with bus route cancellations amid bus driver shortage

Oct 11, 2023 | 9:45 AM

CHILLIWACK — There just aren’t enough qualified bus drivers available in Chilliwack and throughout British Columbia to effectively meet the demand for transporting students.

That’s according to a memo from the Chilliwack School District transportation department dated Thursday, October 5 in which it laments the lack of bus drivers.

“A province-wide shortage of bus drivers is being felt here in the Chilliwack School District,” the memo from the SD33 transportation department stated. “The staffing shortage mirrors challenges that are felt in many sectors, including education staff. Our priority is ensuring students continue to have dependable daily transportation. While we are working hard to address staffing issues without impacting services, we anticipate some possible service disruptions and bus route cancellations in the coming days.”

According to a post on the District Parent Advisory Council Facebook page dated Wednesday, October 11 at 6:04 a.m., routes 47 and 38 were cancelled today.

The district strongly encourages parents and guardians to download the Traversa Ride 360 app so that parents are notified about route cancellations. The Traversa app sends push notifications in cases of route delays or cancellations straight to smart phones.

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“In anticipation of possible route cancellations, we encourage families to have an alternate transportation plan in place,” SD33 wrote in the memo from the transportation department. “This might include arrangements for driving your child to school or coordinating carpooling.”

Chilliwack School District wrote in the memo that it acknowledges the effects the bus driver shortage will have on families who rely on SD33 buses.

“We know how important bus transportation is to our families and genuinely regret that the driver shortage means we may not be able to offer the service consistently to everyone this fall,” the memo stated. “Please know we are working diligently to find the best possible solutions and hire bus drivers.”

Speaking of hiring, SD33 continues to accept bus driver applications. Back in early September 2023, Wayne Williams, manager of transportation for SD33, told Fraser Valley Today in an email that the district added eight more bus drivers to its roster over the summer and will be starting them on a training program later this month.

“We just hired 8 new drivers at the end of June for the 2023-2024 school year and will be starting them on our driver training course [at the] end of September 2023,” said Williams.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / A province-wide shortage of bus drivers is being felt in the Chilliwack School District, according to a memo dated Thursday, October 5. SD33 is accepting applications for bus drivers; it recently hired eight bus drivers over the summer and is eagerly looking for more applicants.

In addition to a basic class 2 bus drivers license with air brake endorsement provided by ICBC, Chilliwack School District runs a 5-week, in-house driving training program to new candidates. This is being done to ensure SD33 is producing top-quality drivers for its students and their safety, Williams said.

“Our training staff will have to get through bus evacuation training in early September to elementary students first, to ensure our students are safe. This will help prepare them, if needed in future,” Williams said in an email.

Williams added that the school district plans to hire at least five more bus drivers.

The SD33 transportation department is located at 44877 Yale Road in Chilliwack. The transportation staff can be reached Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 604-792-1255.