FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2004

Transportation officials remain confident that the new busing system works
“The new busing system works,” says Steve Wowk, manager of Tri-Board Student Transportation Services. “It has worked in communities of the same size and geography as ours, in smaller and larger communities, and in more urban and more rural communities.” Mr. Wowk made these statements while, at the same time, acknowledging that transportation problems have occurred during start-up for schools in the Quinte and surrounding areas. However, improvements in service have been made every day this week and will continue into next week.

The region, which instituted a route optimization plan to bring student transportation in line with the eastern portion Tri-Board Student Transportation Services, experienced the normal back to school transportation issues, dealing with the same issues it has faced every year since students have been transported to school.

Nonetheless, Mr. Wowk is not deterred by the challenges of start-up. “Tri-Board employees have the expertise, and the support of school administrators and a dedicated group of bus operators and drivers who are determined to make this work because it is in the best interest of the students,” remarks Wowk.

Through ongoing contact with schools and Tri-Board Student Transportation Services, school Board officials are monitoring busing at each school. As of this afternoon, well over 90 percent of bus runs are operating within specified times. The remaining few are being monitored to determine what specific actions are required in order to improve service to students.

Mr. Wowk indicated that his staff of 13 qualified individuals is responding to approximately 1,250 inquiries a day. Statistically speaking, in 2003-2004, Tri-Board Student Transportation Services received 3,800 calls in the first week of school; in 2002-2003, the number of calls was around 5,000. Mr. Wowk expects that volume of calls this year will be consistent with the 2002-2003 figure. Tri-Board Student Transportation Services transports 38,000 students to 164 schools, travelling over 97,000 kilometres daily, covering an area of 16,000 kilometres.

The decision to optimize bus routes and implement staggered bell times has been proven locally and provincially to:

• Reduce ride times in the vast majority of cases
• Put more money back into programs and services for students
• Offer better service to students who have to transfer buses, such as students who are enrolled in French Immersion
• Significantly lower costs while maintaining safe, secure and on-time transportation of students

The key issues for the transportation team continue to be:

• Ensuring all bus students are assigned safe, efficient transportation access
• Reviewing timing issues and implementing workable solutions
• Reducing and redesigning transfer points to ensure safe, efficient delivery of students to school sites
• Developing bus loading zones that result in minimum delays for students needing to be rerouted to their assigned destination and most importantly
• Ensuring that all special needs students are provided with the most direct routes to and from their home and school

If parents and guardians have a transportation concern there are some simple guidelines to follow to ensure that the situation is dealt with in the most efficient manner.

1. Call Tri-Board Student Services at 1-866-569-6638.
2. If your call is answered by voicemail, please leave a message with the following information:
a. Student’s name
b. Parent’s or guardian’s name
c. Complete and accurate home address
d. The name of the student’s school
e. The reason for the call
3. Your call will be returned within 24 hours.

The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board covers 16,134 square kilometers from Seeley’s Bay in the east to Trenton in the west to Picton in the south and Whitney near Algonquin Park in the north. The Board’s 14,705 students are educated in five secondary schools, 36 elementary schools and one Adult Learning Centre with six annexes. The system employs over 1,900 full, part-time and occasional teachers and support staff.

The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board has 46 elementary and eight secondary schools serving 18,700 students, employing 1,067 teachers and 775 support staff. The Board covers a wide geographical area of 7,221 square kilometres bordered by Maynooth to the north, Deseronto to the east, Prince Edward County to the south, and Quinte West to the west.

For more information, contact:
• Bob Koubsky, Superintendent of Finance and Business Services, Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board 613-354-2255 ext. 436 or 1-800-581-1116 ext. 436

• Chris Salt, Superintendent of Operations and Human Resources, Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, (613) 966-1170 ext. 2281 or 1-800-267-4350, ext. 2281

• Steve Wowk, Manager of Tri-Board Student Transportation Services, 613-354-1981 or
1-866-569-6638, ext. 324