New Education Minister Must Intervene to
Ensure Buses Run in September
PEMBROKE, ON, Aug. 12,
2024 /CNW/ - Thousands of families in
Eastern Ontario may be without
school bus service this September as school bus operators serving
Renfrew County are without a contract. The local bus operators have
faced 30% to 70% soaring costs to keep buses running safely but the
Ministry of Education has stubbornly refused to address these
skyrocketing costs.
"Bus operators in neighbouring jurisdictions are receiving rates
up to 20% higher than in Renfrew County, but costs to operate buses
are the same. It is time for newly appointed Minister of Education
Todd Smith to fix broken funding
protocols that have left The Renfrew County Joint Transportation
Consortium (RCJTC) unwilling to negotiate fairly," said
Alan Jackson, a spokesperson for the
local bus operators.
The costs to operate school buses have skyrocketed in the last
four years:
- New buses are now 71% higher;
- Bus parts, tires and brakes are 50% more expensive;
- School bus driver wages are up 38%;
- Insurance has soared more than 30%.
Despite these inflationary pressures since the pandemic, bus
operators have received paltry funding increases of 0% (2020-2021);
0% (2021-2022); 2% (2022-2023); and 4% (2023-2024), pushing them
further behind.
"Minister Smith must fix the broken funding protocols that have
forced RCJTC to issue an ultimatum to operators – to accept a
contract with inadequate funding or lose their bus routes and
contracts. This isn't fair negotiating," added Jackson.
"The Premier and successive Ministers have only tinkered with
funding formulas but never addressed the underlying issues. Local
families could be left stranded without bus service this year. We
need stable, long-term contracts to operate safe, reliable student
transportation," said Jackson.
The Renfrew County Joint Transportation Consortium (RCJTC),
which distributes provincial funds to bus operators, seems to be
sitting on reserves while putting the brakes on funds that the
operators require just to keep up with inflation, drivers' pay, and
the continuation of service.
The bus operators have been trying to work out a fair deal for
nearly a year, but RCJTC refused to meaningfully engage and their
last offer of 12% falls woefully short of the 30% to 70% increase
in costs to operate.
"We know our community and our kids – we take pride in offering
safe transportation to our most precious cargo and call on Minister
Smith to fix the funding to ensure Renfrew County operators can
continue to run their businesses."
"Our buses are certified ready to go, our certified drivers, who
are trained, dedicated professionals, are ready to go, and we know
from years of experience that our Renfrew families are ready to go. But,
without a contract, buses won't run," added Jackson.
The Renfrew County School Bus Operators transport 10,000
students every day, some covering distances of over 100km and over
90 minutes using more than 200 modern and well-maintained buses and
mini vans for both public and catholic English boards.
SOURCE Renfrew County School Bus Operators