Minor hiccups as shared school bus pilot project launches

A few minor hiccups are being addressed in the first week of a school bus pilot project in southeast Regina during the first week of classes.

Students within the Regina public and Catholic school divisions are sharing buses to the joint-use school in Greens on Gardiner.

“Every year, the first day of school is a little disjointed,” said Regina Catholic School Division Spokesperson Twylla West.

While there were no major issues, the buses ran about as expected for their first run with some timing issues to sort out. West explained there are some smaller pieces involved with getting people where they need to be on time. Some kids are still figuring out which stop to go to and at what time, while the buses are also getting used to the new routes.

“How many kids are at that stop? Did we estimate the right amount of time to get on or off the bus there? What’s traffic like?”

West said the transportation department is still busy adding kids to the routes who may be new registrations or moved over the summer. She expects improvements every day and the buses should be running smoothly by the end of the week.

Parents are reminded that every bus has GPS and they are encouraged to track the buses online through the parent portal. That will be especially useful for the first snowfall of the year. If the bus is delayed, you’ll be able to see where it is along the route.