Several bus stops were reinstated by School District 27 following months of concerns over safe walking conditions for students commuting to and from school.
Ben Bennison, SD27’s manager of operations for transportation, announced the adjustments at the Jan. 27 board of education meeting.
“I think we’re on the winning side,” Bennison said about the process of adjusting bus routes in a way that balances safety and policy.
“We all know it wasn’t the smoothest process all the way through... I appreciate everybody’s patience for this – it’s been a huge learning curve, but I think we’ve got a handle on it now,” he said.
Changes were initially made to bus routes within the Cariboo Chilcotin School District (SD27) in September 2024 to cut costs and align transportation services with the school district's policy. Among the changes were the elimination of certain bus stops and the stricter implementation of a policy requiring students living within three kilometres of school or of a transportation “hub” to walk or be dropped off at that location.
These changes alarmed many parents in the South Cariboo, who said the walking conditions in more remote areas of the district were dangerous. Among the reasons for this were the lack of sidewalks and streetlights, the risk of encountering wildlife or reckless drivers and the exacerbation of dangers as winter conditions would settle in. Bus routes generating particular concern were around the 108 Mile Ranch and Horse Lake areas, where children as young as five years old were expected to walk or be dropped off to get to school.
Parents expressed their concerns even before the changes came into effect, as discussions around adjusting bus routes came as early as January 2024. According to the district’s website, there had been no formal review of the district’s bus routes for 10 years before the evaluation which led to the September 2024 changes.
The district argued it was spending too much on transportation and had an excessive amount of bus stops. It also said the lack of infrastructure in these areas was not the sole responsibility of the school district. Parents questioned some of the district’s reasoning due to the unique layout and infrastructure within the Cariboo Chilcotin district. Parents also raised the question over how much money the district would be saving if busses were still passing by old stops.
After meeting with parents, bus drivers and Parent Advisory Council members, Bennison explained how the district was able to facilitate changes, some of which “just made sense,” others which he said may be temporary.
New updates for the 108 Mile Ranch bus routes were made in early January 2025 and changes in Horse Lake routes came into effect on the day of the board meeting. simplymastery contacted the district for further details on the changes but has not received a response.
“Parents seem to be happy with the result,” said Danielle Colbourne, a parent who hosted an open house in November to discuss the initial bus changes with a group of about 40 other parents.
Following Bennison’s presentation to the board, trustees Mary Forbes and Anne Kohut praised him and Marcus Loewen, the district's acting director of operations, for their hard work.
Read more about the district’s approach to simplifying bus routes here.
With files from Patrick Davies, Misha Mustaqeem and Ruth Lloyd.
