Busing & Transportation

Driver Shortage

While the majority of CBE bus routes have a regular driver assigned to the route, our transportation service providers continue to face a bus driver shortage that is impacting many students and schools.

To help mitigate the impact on students and schools of this ongoing and continent-wide driver shortage, CBE has taken a number of steps in response:

• increased capacity by expanding the number of service providers;
• reassigned routes with low ridership to specialized transportation service providers with small buses who have additional capacity;
• utilized buses to a higher capacity to reduce the overall number of drivers required;
• provided proactive communication with families, schools, and our public;
• managed the transportation contract to ensure CBE routes are prioritized by service providers; and
• added additional temporary resources were added to CBE Transportation to support school and family inquiries.

The bus driver shortage is one being experienced across the province and across the country. We committed to continuing to explore solutions to ensure students are able to access their school and in so doing minimize the impact on students, families, and school communities.

​Registration for 2023-24 Ongoing

• 2023-24 Transportation Service Levels and Fees in MyCBE

The deadline to be included in route planning for the fall was June 11. CBE Transportation continues to accept registration after the deadline; however, students are added to the closest existing stop with available space. Processing times could be up to six weeks at the beginning of the school year due to volume. Families are responsible for transportation until their registration is confirmed.

There is no financial obligation for registration; families have until the fall to cancel without a fee.

​​​If families are moving and would like their new address considered on the registration form, please fill in a paper form and note on the form that you are moving along with an approximate date. Paper forms are available on Forms You Need.

​Eligibility

General transportation (big yellow school bus) is available to students who:

• Attend their designated school, and
• Live beyond the school walk zone, and
• Are assigned to general transportation as their mode

All high school students and some Grade 6 to 9 students are designated to Calgary Transit​.

For the purpose of transportation, only the student’s primary address in our student information system will be ​​used to establish eligibility.​

Bus Routes and Stops

Bus route, stop location and stop time information are available through MyCBE to registered students who have been added to a route. The stop time provided is the time the bus leaves the stop. Please be at the stop at least five minutes before the scheduled departure time. Buses will not wait at or return to stops once they have left. Families of kindergarten students are asked to meet their child at the door of the bus to ensure their safety. Drivers only ensure kindergarten students are met by a parent or guardian. If you would like your child in grade 1 and up to be met by a parent or guardian, please send an email to transportation@cbe.ab.ca​, and a note will be added to the route.​

Service Levels and Fees for 2023-24

​Transportation for the Regular ​Program

Bus eligible students will have a bus stop within 1.6 km for elementary schools and 1.8 km for middle or junior high schools. Students in kindergarten get one way transportation. This is a set fee for the school year that is not adjusted based on actual usage.​​

Transportation for Specialized Programs

Bus eligible students who have been directed to a special education program and assigned to general transportation will have a bus stop within 1.6 km for elementary schools and 1.8 km for middle or junior high schools. The transportation fee is $260. Th​is is a set fee for the school year that is not adjusted based on actual usage.​

Transportation for Alternative Programs

Students attending Alternative Programs access general transportation under a congregated stop model.

Conditional Ridership

​Conditional ridership may be available to students who are not eligible for general transportation.

Conditional ridership:

• is not guaranteed;
• must be applied for every year using MyCBE;
  
• must be approved by Transportation Services before riding;
• has a fee;
• is offered on a first come, first served basis;
• means the student must access an existing stop; and
• is granted based on the above criteria; should routes change or if qualified students are added to a route and the bus becomes overcrowded, conditional riders may be removed to accommodate these changes
  

Parents must have alternate transportation arrangements in place in case approval is not received before the start of the school year, in case the registration is not approved, and/or in case the conditional rider status is removed in the school year. This is a set fee for the school year that is not adjusted based on actual usage.

Alternate Addresses

We’ve heard from families that they would like more flexibility to access bus stops and routes to support childcare arrangements and changing family schedules. CBE Transportation allows families to add a second address to their transportation registration to have access to two bus stops and/or routes.

Note | All addresses must be within the attendance area for the school and outside the walk zone. Maps can be found on the school profile on the CBE School Directory. The information collected from parents informs bus route planning but does not guarantee a stop at the exact location requested.​

To participate in the program, you must:

1. Register for transportation in MyCBE by the deadline.
2. Fill in the Request for Alternate Address form in MyCBE and provide one additional address and schedule for your child. Note: the form will only appear after you register.
   

CBE Transportation will review each request to determine if the request can be accommodated. Families will be notified of the decision within six weeks of application. If it is approved, the second address will be used as we are creating new bus routes.

The cost of this request, if approved, is $110.​

See the frequently asked questions below for more information.

​Ride Times

In general, ride times are an hour or less each way. Due to the distance some students must travel to alternative or specialized programs, ride times may be longer in some cases.

Bus Route and Stop Changes

Bus routes are developed using registrations received by the deadline. Bus routes and stops are subject to change throughout the school year and between school years.To request a change, parents/guardians can complete a Bus Stop Change Request Form available through MyCBE. As a reminder, families are responsible for student safety to, from, and at the bus stop. A bus stop change will not be considered based on the path students use to get to or from a bus stop including any road crossings. Please note, drivers may not change a stop location. All requests must come through CBE Transportation.​

For registered students, if families move over the summer, and cannot update their new address with the school, please email transportation@cbe.ab.ca as soon as possible so the route and bus stop assignment can be updated.

Service Delays

All service providers other then Southland, First Student and Fenton will call families when there is a delay.

Please plan ahead for using transportation in cold weather.

Cancellations

Requests are completed through MyCBE. Each year, families have until September 30 to cancel without any fee being charged. Cancellations for the rest of the year must be received within 30 days of the last day service was used. Transportation fees will continue to be charged until a cancellation is received, regardless of usage. Prorated refunds are issued based on future months.

Frequently Asked Questions - Alternate Address

Can you provide some examples of the use of an alternate address?

Requests must be made for weekly or bi-weekly use of a bus stop or bus routes to a second address.

• Pick-up at one bus stop in the morning and dropped off at a different bus stop in the afternoon. This may involve taking the same bus or being assigned to a different bus route for the alternate address.
• Use of different addresses for consistent days during a week (i.e. every Tuesday and Thursday) or alternating weeks.

Are there limits on the alternate address I can provide?

Families can only submit one additional address. This address must be within your school’s attendance area and outside of the walk zone. Maps can be found on the school profile on the CBE website.

Will the bus stop be at the alternate address I provide?

No, the second address will be considered when bus routes are created. It is not the pick-up/drop-off location. Bus stops will still be within CBE Transportation bus stop guidelines:

• Mandated Riders: Elementary - stop within 1.6 km and Middle/Junior High School - stop within 1.8 km
• Non-Mandated Riders: Congregated stop for alternative programs or community stops for regular programs

Can I request a specific pick-up or drop-off time?

No, these times are determined as part of the entire route travel times and distance.

Can conditional riders submit an alternate address request?

Yes, conditional riders can submit a second address. However, should routes change or if eligible students are added to a route and the bus becomes overcrowded, conditional riders may be removed to accommodate these changes.

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