Waterloo Region facing school bus driver shortage

School buses can be seen in this undated photo. (CTV Barrie)

Waterloo Region doesn’t have enough school bus drivers to fully maintain its usual level of services.

In a letter addressed to parents of students who take school buses, Student Transportation Service of Waterloo Region general manager Benoit Bourgault said Friday that there are currently only enough full-time drivers to cover 419 of the region’s 426 school bus routes.

Additionally, the local pool of part-time and temporary drivers is 30 people short of its usual level.

“These shortages may result in certain students experiencing delays when travelling to school or going home,” Bourgault wrote.

“We are working to minimize issues where possible, and in most cases, families will see no impact resulting from the driver shortage.”

Training and recruitment efforts are being ramped up in an effort to address the shortage, Bourgault said, and service levels could return to normal by early December.

Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region manages bus services for the Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board.

Shortages of school bus drivers have been reported in many other parts of southern Ontario since the school year began.