April 12th, 2022

Date: 12 April 2022
Re: Transportation Service Interruptions

Routes: 243 & 249

Dear Parent(s)/Guardians(s):

Bus operators are now experiencing an increase in driver absences due to COVID-19 isolation. Although more than 90% of our routes are operating normally, some routes are experiencing more frequent and prolonged delays (50 minutes or greater). As a result, Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) will need to cancel some routes for a short period of time when driver absences cannot be covered. With the current COVID-19 isolation protocols in effect, routes may be cancelled for 5 to 10 days.

This letter is to inform you that your child’s bus route is expected to be cancelled from April 13, 2022 and April 14, 2022 inclusive. Please follow STSWR’s website (bpweb.stswr.ca/Cancellations.aspx) in case the duration of the cancellation is extended.

If you have not already done so, please register for notifications on the STSWR parent portal or check the Bus Delays page on the STSWR website for the most up-to-date and accurate school vehicle and route information. Please check the Bus Delays page daily as it will be updated each afternoon by 4:30 PM.

We understand the significant impact this decision will have on our students and their families and caregivers. STSWR does this only as a last resort. We hope that proactively implementing and communicating this course of action will allow families and caregivers to better prepare for and react to the cancellation of bus routes.

As a result of driver absences, drivers will be covering late routes in addition to their normal routes. We would ask for your support in extending thanks and grace to our bus drivers. These are unprecedented times, and everyone is doing their best to ensure students are able to attend in-person learning.

For Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) Students and Families

For students and families in the WRDSB, if a school bus route is cancelled due to a COVID-19 related driver absence, there are three options for families:

  • Students may participate asynchronously remotely by accessing their class Virtual Learning Environment (D2L or Google Classroom)
  • Students may access asynchronous lessons on TVO and STVLElementary; or
  • Families may find alternative transportation for their students for the 5 to 10 day bus transportation cancellation period.