Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / Chilliwack School District continues to grapple with a lack of bus drivers and the corresponding impact it has on daily bus routes. According to information provided by a Chilliwack resident, there are five bus routes affected by bus driver shortages on Monday, December 11. Buses 46 and 32 are reportedly not in service all day due to driver shortages, meaning there is no coverage for these routes. 

By Mike Vanden Bosch

SD33 bus driver shortage

Two bus routes cancelled Monday due to Chilliwack School District bus driver shortage

Dec 11, 2023 | 9:21 AM

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack School District continues to grapple with a lack of bus drivers and the corresponding impact it has on daily bus routes.

According to information provided by a Chilliwack resident, there are five bus routes affected by bus driver shortages on Monday, December 11.

Buses 46 and 32 are reportedly not in service all day due to driver shortages, meaning there is no coverage for these routes and no bus driver personnel.

Bus 47 (afternoon) will be covered by bus 19 (Promontory), bus 15 (GWG), and bus 28 (SSS).

Bus 30 (afternoon) will be covered by bus 28 (East Chwk), bus 9 (RTCS), and bus 6 (East Chwk transfers).

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Bus 21 (morning and afternoon) will be covered. The morning will be covered by bus 11 and 17. The afternoon will be covered by buses 17 (Yarrow), 40 (VMS & Stito:s), and 59 (VMS & Stito:s). Stops for bus 21 will be at there normal stops. Students and parents should expect delays in pick up/drop off times.

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 that day.

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.

“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.