Transportation Services

Regulation

1. GENERAL REGULATIONS
   1. Specific details related to all student transportation services are noted in the Student Transportation Handbook.
      
      
   2. Edmonton Transit shall be the preferred means of student transportation.
      
      
   3. When Edmonton Transit is unavailable or does not provide an acceptable level of service to the designated school, yellow bus service for eligible riders shall be arranged.
      
      
   4. A student shall receive no more than one form of transportation service from the Division.
      
      
   5. The school principal shall be responsible for:
      1. the supervision of students loading and unloading at the school;
      2. student conduct on the school bus;
      3. the sale and distribution of bus passes to students;
      4. compliance with Division and Alberta Education requirements for collecting, reporting and distribution of transportation-related information.
   6. Division staff, contract carriers and parents/guardians will provide a welcoming, caring, respectful, safe and inclusive environment when accessing Student Transportation services in accordance with expectations and responsibilities outlined in the following Board Policies (and subsequent Administrative Regulations):
      1. HF.BP - Safe, Caring and Respectful Learning Environments
      2. FA.BP – Human Resources Framework
      3. HFA.BP - Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and
      4. HA.BP - Inclusive Education
   7. Parents or guardians of a student, or an independent student, receiving transportation, must provide for needed supervision and/or transportation prior to the student accessing transportation service, including movement to and from a bus stop location.
      
      
   8. Recommendations or amendments to administrative regulations that impact transportation services shall involve the Manager of Student Transportation. The Manager of Student Transportation shall be listed as resource staff on all such recommendations going forward to senior administration for approval.
2. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBSIDIZED TRANSPORTATION
   1. For the purpose of determining Division eligibility for transportation, the following shall apply:
      1. neighbourhood boundaries shall be those determined through the Division planning process;
      2. a neighbourhood shall be considered to have no local elementary school if:
         • such a school has not been built or the school has been closed;
         • the regular program in the neighbourhood school has been closed;
      3. a student's neighbourhood of residence shall be determined by his permanent residential address as recorded on the Division's student file;
      4. based on the student's permanent resident address, the "designated school" shall be:
         • the local attendance area school;
         • the school(s) identified by the Division as receiving school(s) for students residing in specific neighbourhoods with no local elementary school or areas with no junior or senior high school;
         • the school which a student choosing an immersion or bilingual language program is directed to attend; or
         • the school which a student with moderate or severe special needs is directed to attend.
      5. The Division shall not be responsible for providing transportation to students, including those with special education needs, who choose not to attend their designated school.
      6. Students must reside within the "transportation service area", meaning the designated zone within an attendance area in which the Division provides subsidized transportation.
3. YELLOW BUS SERVICE
   1. The term, "yellow bus" includes buses or any other vehicle under contract to the Division to transport students.
      
      
   2. The following transportation services shall be available with a cost charged to parents or independent students:
      1. to a designated school from areas where such schools have been closed or have not been built;
      2. to a designated school for any student designated by the Division to attend that specific school.
   3. The Division may choose to provide transportation services to Alternative Programs at its sole discretion:
      1. Alternative Language Programs that meet Provincial criteria for bilingual or immersion instruction and Programs of Choice that have a unique instructional or curricular focus (programs such as, but not limited to, Arts Core, Cogito, Logos, Science Alternative, and Sports Alternative Programs).
      2. Additions or deletions to the number of programs included in the service are at the Superintendent of Schools' discretion through the budget process.
      3. If such a service is provided, in setting fees, the following factors shall be considered:
         • the cost of providing and administering the service;
         • the eligibility of potential riders under the Alberta Education Funding Manual;
         • the fees charged for other services;
         • the fees charged for this service in the past.
4. TRANSPORTATION SCHEDULES
   1. Transportation schedules will be established annually by Student Transportation in consultation with school principals.
      
      
   2. In accordance with Administrative Regulation FCBD.AR - Time in Recognition of Duties Related to Reporting Student Achievement and Administrative Regulation FLC.AR - School Professional Development Days, principals must ensure that Student Transportation is notified of all school calendar changes and school activities that impact the transportation services at least six (6) weeks prior to the date of the school calendar change or activity.
      
      
   3. For school calendar changes that impact the transportation schedule for the following school year, principals must ensure that Student Transportation is notified during the spring School Hours of Operation (SHOP) process held in the preceding school year.
5. STUDENT TRANSPORTATION FEES
   1. In accordance with the Education Act and the Provincial Student Transportation Regulation A.R. 250/1998, eligible independent students and parents or guardians of eligible students who receive subsidized transportation must pay the student transportation fee through the purchase of a bus pass.
      
      
   2. For the purpose of determining eligibility to access subsidized transportation services through the purchase of a bus pass, the term "student" shall include all those individuals less than 20 years of age on September 1st, and registered in a Division-operated school excluding  individuals to whom the Division provides courses or programs in accordance with Section 55 of the School Act (Continuing Education).
      
      
   3. Bus passes shall only be sold to a student registered in an Edmonton Public School, or to the student's parent or guardian on behalf of the student.
      
      
   4. The amount charged to a student to replace a lost or stolen bus pass shall not exceed the Division's cost for a replacement pass.
6. CONDITIONAL RIDERS
   1. Student Transportation may authorize a student, who is not entitled to transportation services, access to yellow bus transportation under the following conditions:
      1. there is sufficient capacity on the bus as determined by Student Transportation;
      2. bus routes shall not be designed or altered to accommodate these students;
      3. access to the service shall be granted on an annual basis;
      4. the monthly fee is the same as for alternative program riders.
7. TRANSPORTATION BY PARENT IN LIEU OF SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORTATION
   1. For eligible students with moderate or severe special education needs who are attending their designated school, the Division may, at its sole discretion, enter into an agreement with the parent whereby the parent transports the student to and from school and receives payment from the Division for doing so.
      
      
   2. Parent provided transportation will be considered when it can be determined that no other form of transportation service is accessible.
8. APPEALS
   1. In accordance with Administrative Regulation AB.AR - Appeal Process, appeals related to the provision of transportation services will be resolved as follows:
      1. If issues or concerns are not resolved, a written request may be submitted to the Manager of Student Transportation.
      2. Written appeals of the decision of the Manager of Student Transportation can be made within 10 school days to the Managing Director, Planning and Student Transportation.
      3. The decision of the Managing Director, Planning and Student Transportation will be delivered in writing.
      4. The Managing Director, Planning and Student Transportation's decision, if significantly affecting the education of a student may be appealed, in writing, to the Superintendent of Schools.

References