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# School bus routes being updated

School bus routes are being updated which may effect existing pick-up times for some students.

Updated bus routes will be posted on Yukon.ca by the end of the workday on Friday, September 4. Updated bus routes will take effect on Tuesday, September 8.

Parents or guardians who have a child assigned to a school bus are advised to check the school bus routes over the long weekend to make sure they are up-to-date on the time of pick-up for their child for Tuesday morning. Families can check the updated routes at yukon.ca/en/school-bus-schedules.

Bus routes need to be updated to accommodate a high volume of eligible students who were registered for the bus closer to the start of the school year. These registrations have now been processed and eligible students are being assigned a seat on the school bus, which is impacting existing bus routes.

Changes to bus routes beyond pick-up times are not anticipated. Parents or guardians will be contacted directly if there are any changes beyond the pick-up time for their child.

Notification of assigned seat

Parents or guardians of eligible students who have now been assigned a seat on the school bus will be notified directly by e-mail of the student’s bus number. Students are only assigned a seat if their parents or guardians receive a direct notification.

School bus passes

For the week of September 8, new students to the bus do not need their school bus pass to ride the bus. The school bus driver will have updated lists of students who have been assigned to their school bus. School bus passes will be provided to new students the following week by the student’s school.

Students should use the bus stop closest to their home as shown in the updated school bus routes.

Accommodating students beyond eligibility

Following this update, school buses are operating near capacity while following the health and safety guidelines and accommodating eligible students who have registered.

Eligibility to ride the school bus is outlined in the Education Act and Student Transportation Regulations. Students are eligible to ride the school bus to their school and back home if:

- they live more than 3.2 kilometres from their school; and
- they are attending their attendance area school.

As the school year continues, seats that become available to students beyond the eligibility requirements will be assigned based on the order of priority:

- Kindergarten to Grade 3 students;
- Grade 4 to 7 students who live within 3.2 kilometres of their attendance area school;
- students who attend school outside of their attendance area; and
- special requests, including bussing to stops other than from home to school and back, such as daycare centres.

Additional buses

The Government of Yukon has requested an additional three school buses through its school bus provider. The Government of Yukon continues to work with the school bus provider on timing for adding these additional buses to the existing fleet and will provide updates when available.

More information

Updated bus routes can be viewed at yukon.ca/en/school-bus-schedules.

High school students can continue to register for a City of Whitehorse transit pass instead of a school bus pass. They can request a registration form from their school or visit: yukon.ca/en/education-and-schools/kindergarten-grade-12/school-bus-and-other-student-transportation-options.

Media contact

Janine Workman
Cabinet Communications
867-332-0480
janine.workman@gov.yk.ca

Julie Terry
Communications Analyst, Education
867-332-6225
julie.terry@gov.yk.ca

News release #:
20-248