Student Transportation

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If you have any questions or require assistance, please email:  school.bus@abbyschools.ca   

Current School Bus Fees

1. Students bused to in catchment schools and who live inside walk limit: $511.50 per student per year or $759.00 per family per year.
2. Students attending district programs and cross boundary students: $759.00 per student per year or $1023.00 per family per year.
3. Students living outside the walk limits of their catchment school pay no fees.
   1. Elementary School – 3.2 km
   2. Middle School – 3.2 km
   3. Secondary School – 4.0 km

If you no longer require the school bus service, please contact Transportation by email to cancel. Otherwise, payment will be expected. 

The Transportation Department does not take cancellations over the phone.

EMAIL TRANSPORTATION

How do I find my catchment area?

• Enter your street name into Schools Locator; or
• View District catchment maps:
  • Neighbourhood areas grades K-5
  • Neighbourhood areas grades 6-8
  • Neighbourhood areas for grade 9-12
  • Neighbourhood areas for French Immersion schools (grades K-5)

Please note: this information is provided as a tool to assist in determining attendance areas. It is recommended that the school catchment maps and school locator be used together to confirm a school boundary. If you have any questions after consulting the information via this website, including whether your home falls within a school catchment, please contact the District office at (604) 859-4891.

The purpose of this procedure is to define the circumstances and conditions under which transportation to and from school will be provided for Abbotsford School District students and to outline the special circumstances where the district will provide parents or other providers with financial assistance for transportation costs for students. This section sets walk limits for catchment and out of catchment students, and provides guidelines for student conduct, supervision, and discipline. 

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By adhering to the following rules, students will ensure maximum safety for themselves, their bus driver, and other drivers. 

DO's:

• Sit in the seat assigned to you during the entire trip unless authorized by the driver to change seats
• Remain seated at all times -- facing forward with legs and feet clear of the aisle area and with feet on the floor
• Keep head and arms inside the bus when the windows are open
• Be absolutely quiet when approaching and while stopped at a railway crossing
• Provide the driver with your correct name when asked

Do Not: 

• Push or shove enroute to your seat
• Throw paper or any other projectile
• Mark, cut and/or deface seats
• Bring skis and poles on the bus

All Students Must Not:

• Push, shove, or hit one another
• Smoke or Vape
• Light lighters, matches, or firecrackers
• Swear
• Fight
• Be excessively loud
• Refuse to share a seat

READ THE CODE OF CONDUCT

Reminder: Studies show the safest mode of transportation to school for students is on board a School Bus.

The school bus is an extension of the classroom. Student behaviour is expected to be consistent with acceptable behaviour in class, as serious safety concerns can result from poor behaviour. According to school bus rules, the driver is responsible for maintaining order on the bus. SAFETY, ORDER and RIGHTS are posted inside each school bus. Students who misbehave on a bus may first receive a verbal warning. If this warning is not responded to appropriately, the principal shall make a report, and parents will be notified.

A suspension of riding privileges may occur, if:

• A student's inappropriate behaviour continues; and/or
• A flagrant act of misbehaviour occurs, such as vandalism, direct disobedience, foul language, etc.

If riding privileges are suspended, the parents and the school will be immediately informed. Students will not be discharged from the bus on route but may be returned to the school by the driver.

Types of Infractions

• Refusing to obey the instructions of the driver
• Extending part of the body out of the window
• Failing to remain seated while the vehicle is in motion
• Being disrespectful of others
• Fighting
• Smoking
• Causing willful damage
• Using obscene language
• Throwing objects
• Any conduct that would be permitted in a classroom

Bus stops are located in a safe place and are designed to accommodate as many students as possible. Students may be requested to walk up to 1.6 km to a bus stop. Stops are located either approximately 50 m prior to or after an intersection to ensure that the bus does not impede traffic at the intersection. School District buses do not travel on unmaintained or "No Exit" streets. Routes and stops are structured to stay on main roadways in our district. Students are requested to be at their bus stop 5 minutes prior to their scheduled departure time.

The Transportation Department is responsible for establishing the registration and application processes for students using the District student transportation system.

Registration and Assigned Stops

Students must be registered to ride a District school bus. Unregistered students are not permitted to ride.

Registered students may only board and disembark at their assigned bus stop(s) and school.

Alternate transportation arrangements must be approved in advance by the Transportation Department. Alternate arrangements are intended for regular, ongoing transportation needs and must follow a fixed schedule. Day-to-day or occasional changes cannot and will not be accommodated.

Students with Two Residences

Where a student regularly resides at two addresses and requires school bus transportation from both, a separate bus registration must be submitted for each residence.

Transportation may be accommodated when:

• a fixed schedule for each residence is submitted in advance;
• an existing route can accommodate the request; and
• no additional stops are required on the established route.

Schedules must remain consistent and cannot change on a day-to-day basis.

If one residence is outside the student's school catchment, transportation from that residence is considered courtesy ridership and is subject to seat availability and applicable courtesy rider fees.

Childcare and After-School Activities 

Transportation to an alternate stop may be considered for students who require regular transportation to childcare or a non-District-sponsored after-school activity.

For a student attending their catchment school and living outside the established walk zone, an alternate stop may be approved without an additional fee when:

• the childcare provider or activity is served by the student's existing bus route;
• an established bus stop can be used; and
• no additional stop or route change is required.

A fixed schedule must be submitted in advance for regular alternate transportation arrangements.

Courtesy Ridership

A student requiring transportation to childcare or a regular after-school activity will be considered a courtesy rider when:

• the student attends a school outside their catchment;
• the student lives within the established walk zone; or
• the requested destination requires the student to use a route other than the route for which they would otherwise be eligible.

Courtesy transportation is subject to available space and applicable fees.

Occasional or Changing Transportation Requests

The District does not provide school bus transportation for occasional or changing transportation arrangements.

Students may not use a different bus or stop for one-time arrangements, including travelling to a friend's home or another destination.

All approved alternate transportation arrangements must be established in advance and follow a consistent schedule.

Failure to follow an approved transportation arrangement or misuse of alternate transportation privileges may result in the service being cancelled by the Manager of Operations or designate.

Questions about eligibility, registration, alternate stops or courtesy ridership should be directed to the Transportation Department.

Weather conditions and mechanical breakdowns can occur and cause delays. A route may take 50% longer to complete in adverse weather conditions. If a bus does not arrive in fifteen minutes, you will need to make alternate arrangements for your child. Please equip your student with a family safety plan if the bus has a lengthy delay.

During the late fall and winter months, it is necessary to temporarily close a school or schools when weather conditions might endanger the safety of students. The Superintendent of Schools has authority on behalf of the Board, to temporarily close a school or schools. Several factors go into this decision and are highlighted on the school district's website under "Winter Weather Procedures".

If families believe their local conditions are unsafe, they may keep their child at home or arrange for their early dismissal. To alert parents, the school district has various means of communicating a decision to close a school or schools:

• District Website - www.abbyschools.ca
• Social Accounts - @AbbotsfordSD
• SchoolMessenger Email / Phone Calls

Or call the transportation office, (604) 855-5278.

Students are reminded to listen closely when the driver explains and instructs Safe Bus Evacuations drills annually.

Student Supervision at Bus Pick-Up and Drop-Off Locations

The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring their child’s safe travel to and from school and to and from their designated bus pick-up and drop-off location. These procedures are intended to provide clear and consistent expectations for families and transportation staff and, most importantly, to ensure that students are safely supervised before boarding and after leaving the school bus.

Kindergarten to Grade 5

All students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 must have a parent/guardian or an approved adult designate present at their bus pick-up and drop-off location.

Parents/guardians who wish to designate another responsible adult, or older sibling, to supervise their child at the bus stop must provide the required authorization in writing to the appropriate school or transportation office on an annual basis.

Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that their child is at the designated bus stop at least five minutes before the scheduled pick-up time. For drop-off, the parent/guardian or approved adult designate must be present at the designated stop at least five minutes before the scheduled drop-off time.

Parents/guardians that do not want to be present, or assign a designate will be required to complete a release form.

If a parent/guardian or approved adult designate is not present when a student is scheduled to be dropped off, the student will not be left unattended at the bus stop. After allowing a reasonable amount of time for the responsible adult to arrive, the driver will keep the student on the bus and continue the route. The student will then be returned to the school, where they will be supervised until a parent/guardian or approved adult designate arrives.

Accessible Transportation

All students using accessible transportation must have a parent/guardian or approved adult designate present at their bus pick-up and drop-off location.

Parents/guardians who wish to identify an adult designate must communicate this request in writing to the appropriate school or Learning Services department and receive confirmation before the arrangement takes effect.