THUNDER BAY — For the second time in two months, a shortage of school bus drivers left dozens of Thunder Bay families scrambling to find ways to get children to class on time on Tuesday morning.
First Student Canada and the Lakehead Public School Board notified parents Monday night that the North 1 run, servicing Ecole Gron Morgan Public School and Woodcrest Public School, had to be cancelled.
About 117 students were affected.
A similar incident happened in November, impacting a route that served Gron Morgan and Algonquin schools.
"It's a very bad day for us to end up cancelling a run," First Student Canada location manager Della Spencer told tbnewswatch.com.
Spencer said the company maintains a pool of spare operators, but because several called in sick at a time when others were already on medical leave, it was impossible to keep all 55 buses running.
"I feel horrible...We're not doing this to try to screw up someone else's day. We have very dedicated and experienced professional people trying to do a job here," she said.
First Student needed replacements for 10 drivers Tuesday, but could only get nine.
Spencer and three other members of First Student Canada staff – who are licensed bus drivers – all left their desks to get behind the wheel because of the unexpected shortage.
She said if it wasn't for the full-time staff stepping up, four bus runs would have been cancelled.
School bus companies across North America have recently faced a growing problem with recruitment.
Spencer said drivers include "wonderful retirees" who are dedicated to their work, but some develop medical issues requiring extended leaves of absence.
Others decide to take time off for winter vacations.
Bus drivers at First Student are unionized. The starting pay rate is $16.75 per hour.
The one-day strike Tuesday at Thunder Bay's Catholic schools freed up no drivers for the company, as it is only contracted to service public schools.
Student Transportation Services of Thunder Bay, the consortium that oversees busing for local school boards, is monitoring the situation.
Manager Craig Murphy described the driver shortage as concerning, but said every bus company in the country is struggling with the same problem.
"They've been actively recruiting, doing everything they can. We recognize that it's an industry-wide issue that is not solely their doing," Murphy said.
The North 1 run is scheduled to be back in service Wednesday.
