Dear Parent/Guardian,
On September 6, 2016, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) was unexpectedly informed of a serious shortfall
in the number of school bus drivers employed by three of our transportation providers: Attridge Transportation,
Wheelchair Accessible Transit and Sharp Bus Lines. As a result, some students attending the city's public
and Catholic schools have experienced significant school bus delays and, in some cases, cancellations.
It is not uncommon to experience minor and isolated transportation issues at the start of every school year,
which are resolved within a short period of time. This year, the level of disruption caused by the shortage of
bus drivers cannot be solved immediately. While the shortage of bus drivers is beyond the school board’s
control, we sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your continued patience.
The Toronto Student Transportation Group that is responsible for student transportation for both the TDSB and the
Toronto Catholic District School Board has been working closely with bus operators to solve this issue. They
have assured us that they are doing everything they can to resume full service as soon as possible.
As of today, approximately 1,275 students attending 50 TDSB schools continue to be directly impacted by the bus
driver shortage. Parents/guardians of these students will be receiving a separate letter from their school with
information and instructions on morning and afternoon pick-ups and drop-offs for next week. They will also
receive assurances that students transported to school by parents/guardians early and students leaving school
late due to bus delays will be supervised by school staff. The care and safety of students is our number one
priority.
For more information, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca.
Once again, we thank you for your ongoing patience as we work with our bus providers to resolve these service
issues as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,