Many students who are now bussed to schools administered by English-language school boards in the region will have to find alternate forms of transportation in September.
Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario (STEO), the transportation consortium for the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) and the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB), is introducing important transportation eligibility and service changes that will take effect for the 2026-2027 school year. The service changes will impact both elementary and secondary school students across the region.
Changes mean that some students who currently have access to bus transportation will be considered within walking distance to school, have a change to their bus stop location, and/or will have a longer bus ride time.
In the fall, the eligibility distance for STEO-provided transportation will increase to 3.2 kilometres for students in grades 9-12. Students living less than 3.2 km from school will no longer qualify for board-provided transportation. The maximum walking distance to a bus stop will increase to 0.8 km for students in kindergarten to grade 8, and 1.6 km for grades 9-12. Maximum bus ride time will increase to 75 minutes for students in kindergarten to grade 8, and 90 minutes for grades 9-12.
The updates follow recently introduced standardized criteria for student transportation from the Ontario Ministry of Education, which includes changes to the transportation funding formula to ensure a consistent, fiscally responsible and sustainable approach to student transportation across the province. As a result, the revised guidelines will bring the region into alignment with the standard of transportation service across much of Ontario. STEO says.
Impacted families can expect a variety of new resources and supports leading up to the school year, including summer safety programming, a new centralized online support hub, and a hazard assessment tool, which will evaluate walking routes, align with industry best practices and local research.
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