With record snowfall covering 50 percent of the United States, student transportation professionals are extra busy checking roads, warming up buses, modifying bus routes and coordinating cancelled school days. Farther north, consortium Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario (STEO) is fine-tuning the process used to manage bus cancellations for this winter season — which has arrived early.
Earlier this week letters were sent to all parents of students in both the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario and the Upper Canada District School Board, explaining the process for issuing bus cancellation orders.
STEO’s website now offers easy access to transportation updates during stormy weather, along with a video that explains the bus cancellation process. While the company still works with area radio and TV stations to publicize details on cancellations, the website means parents don’t have to wait for the next newscast but can log on at to access the latest information.
“STEO has worked vigorously to improve communication with parents and students about decisions to cancel busing if snowy conditions or icy roads make it unsafe to run buses,” said Ron Cotnam, general manager and chief administrative officer at STEO.
Every day before 2 p.m. local time, staff reviews weather forecasts and any alerts that may impact busing, then notifies bus contractors if there are problems around the corner. Forecasts are reviewed again at 9:30 p.m. When snow storms, freezing rain or other weather problems are expected, the forecasting service Pelmorex/The Weather Network is contacted at 4:30 a.m. to check on weather conditions.
STEO said it relies on this service because it is one of the most accurate forecasting services in the country. Yet company staff members do not rely solely on forecasts when determining whether to cancel bus service. Consultation takes place with a team of contractors whose staff members check area roads at 4:30 a.m. in bad weather. The region is separated into 18 zones, with a contractor as a captain in each zone who reports weather and road conditions to Cotnam directly, confirming the amount of snow and ice accumulation on roads, for example, and advising on its growth and intensity.
Before making the call, STEO and the contractors also consult with municipal road crews, police and other school boards throughout the region. Because the company oversees such a large area, the board only cancels busing in problem areas, or areas where weather is expected to pose difficulty for bus drivers in time for the return trip home. This means buses can be cancelled in all 18 zones, or cancelled in as few as one, when conditions necessitate this order. Though parents may get frustrated if area roads look fine, but must be advised that even though one street may look clear, travel elsewhere in the local region could be dangerous.
The director of education, or his designate, makes the final decision on bus cancellations from each board based on Cotnam’s recommendations. The decision to cancel must be made by 5:45 a.m. since buses head out as early as 6 a.m.
“We understand that cancelling buses in bad weather has a big effect on families, and we know that students are best served in the classroom,” said Cotnam. “Parents must understand though that we care about our students and their safety is our top priority, so there are times we simply must cancel busing to keep them safe.”
Once the decision is made to run, STEO cannot reverse it, even if weather takes an unexpected turn for the worse, as parents rely on that decision.
Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario operates approximately 750 school vehicles that transport about 32,000 students across districts in eastern Ontario.
