A row of school busses. Photo Courtesy of Standard Bus Yukon/Facebook.
Whitehorse, YT – Changes are coming to improve school bus reliability after delays and poor communication left students waiting in extreme winter weather earlier this school year.
The Yukon Government and Standard Bus say the changes include faster, more accurate updates on cancellations and a pilot program allowing parents to track buses in real time on selected routes, possibly this spring. The fleet has also been upgraded with 14 new buses designed to operate in temperatures down to -40°C.
“Student safety and our commitment to getting students to class on time daily is central to everything we do at Standard Bus Yukon,” said President of Standard Bus Yukon Leslie Cross in a statement. “We have also heard clearly that families have been frustrated with service interruptions they have experienced this past fall and early winter.”
The efforts follow an apology from Education Minister Scott Kent after December cancellations left some students outside in extreme cold.
About 2,800 Yukon students rely on school bus services each year.
