Frequently Asked Questions

The maximum capacity of a standard school bus is 72 passengers. However, Student Transportation Services recognizes the safety concerns and problems associated with loading buses to maximum capacity. Typical bus maximum capacities will be:

• Grades K-8: 60 students per standard bus.
• Grades K-12: 54 students per standard bus

Standees or sitting on the floor will not be permitted under any circumstance.

Eligible students from JK-8 who reside more than 1.6 KM from their designated eligible school may be provided transportation.  All distances calculated will be the shortest distance by public road or publicly owned and maintained access route between home and school and are measured from the nearest corner of property to corner of property.

Parents are responsible for transporting the student (s) to the school.  Students are not eligible for transportation to attend any school outside of their designated school attendance area but may apply for a courtesy seat.

A courtesy seat is an approved seat on a bus for students that are:

1. residing within the minimum distance required for transportation eligibility
2. require transportation to an alternate location other then home
3. are attending a school outside of their designated attendance area

The following parameters must be met before a courtesy seat is approved:

1. there must be no mileage or cost added to the route
2. there must be available space on the bus
3. the requested stop must be outside of the walk boundary
4. the request must be consistent EVERY school day
5. the request must be submitted annually

Applications must be submitted online at www.schoolbusinfo.com. Transportation services, the school and the school bus operator are involved in the review process. All approvals/denials are sent via email.

Any request that is not consistent every school day is considered “temporary”. Temporary transportation arrangements are not permitted for elementary age students.

It is Chatham Kent & Lambton Administrative School Service’s (CLASS) practice where possible, to limit the length of ride time students to a maximum of 60 minutes one way for Elementary age students.  In some rare cases, due to geography, routes may exceed these parameters.

The school bus is considered an extension of the classroom under the Education Act where students are responsible and accountable for their actions.  Any concerns should be discussed with your child’s school Principal.

If you have a concern regarding the driving ability of your child’s bus driver, Student Transportation Services should be contacted. When a concern is received by this office, the bus operator is contacted and the situation will be investigated.

No. If you would like to request a change to a route/stop, please contact CLASS.

The parent/guardian is responsible for the safety and conduct of the child/children on the way to and from the bus stop and while they are waiting at the bus stop.

If your child does not arrive home in the afternoon, the first step should be to contact the school to see if the child is still there. If you cannot contact the school, you should contact Student Transportation Services.

Eating and drinking are not allowed on the bus for safety reasons such as:

• A child could choke on a piece of food or drink and with the high seat backs and noise on the bus, the driver may not be aware of the situation.
• Left over food and drink not only causes a mess, they can attract bees and wasps.
• Some students have a very severe reaction to bee stings and to some foods such as peanut butter.

It is safer for everyone on the school bus when students do not eat or drink.

A Medical Condition Notification Form is available on your Parent Portal. The form is completed by the parent electronically and is made available to your school bus driver.

CLASS attempts to pick all JK/SK students as close to the home as possible but home stops are not a guarantee for any student; especially in urban centers.

CLASS policy states that all JK/SK students must be met by an adult. All JK/SK students are provided with a backpack tag that serves as an identifier to the driver. If an adult is not present, dispatch will try to call the contact numbers available. If they unable to reach a parent/guardian the child will be returned to the school.

In addition to the local radio stations listed below, information is also available here at on the MySBI mobile APP.

• CHOK [1070 AM]
• FOX [99.9 FM]
• K106 [106.3 FM]
• CFCO [630 AM]
• The Rock [95.1 FM]
• CKSY [94.3 FM]
• Points Eagle Radio CKPI [107.7]
• CKXS (99.1 FM)

The decision to cancel school buses is a shared responsibility between transportation services and the school bus operators.  The process incorporates real-time weather / road condition reports from a number of spotters throughout the district as well as the most current weather information available.  Cancellation information is relayed to local media and updated onto the MySBI mobile app website by 6:30 am.

The MySBI Bus Status app displays up to date bus service information for schools operated by the St. Clair Catholic and Lambton-Kent District School Boards.  The SchoolBusInfo – Bus Status app uses real-time push notification alerts to keep parents/guardians, students, and other stakeholders in Sarnia-Lambton & Chatham-Kent updated. Users can subscribe to receive alerts for Inclement weather cancellations and school bus delays.

You can contact the Transportation Department at 519-627-6860 ext 410 or toll free 1-877-330-4287.  We will be happy to answer any questions or concerns.

The maximum capacity of a standard school bus is 72 passengers. However, Student Transportation Services recognizes the safety concerns and problems associated with loading buses to maximum capacity. Typical bus maximum capacities will be:

• Grades K-8: 60 students per standard bus.
• Grades K-12: 54 students per standard bus

Standees or sitting on the floor will not be permitted under any circumstance.

Eligible students from 9-12 who reside more than 3.2 KM from their eligible school may be provided transportation.  All distances calculated will be the shortest distance by public road or publicly owned and maintained access route between home and school and are measured from the nearest corner of property to corner of property.

Parents are responsible for transporting the student (s) to the school.  Students are not eligible for transportation to attend any school outside of their designated school attendance area but may apply for a courtesy seat.

A courtesy seat is an approved seat on a bus for students that are:

1. residing within the minimum distance required for transportation eligibility
2. require transportation to an alternate location other then home
3. are attending a school outside of their designated attendance area

The following parameters must be met before a courtesy seat is approved:

1. there must be no mileage or cost added to the route
2. there must be available space on the bus
3. the requested stop must be outside of the walk boundary
4. the request must be consistent EVERY school day
5. the request must be submitted annually

Applications must be submitted online at www.schoolbusinfo.com. Transportation services, the school and the school bus operator are involved in the review process. All approvals/denials are sent via email.

CLASS acknowledges that secondary students often require temporary arrangements due to jobs etc. BUSPASS is an application available at www.schoolbusinfo.com for these situations. This is process is NOT available to elementary students.

It is Chatham Kent & Lambton Administrative School Service’s (CLASS) practice where possible, to limit the length of ride time students to a maximum of 60 minutes one way for Elementary age students.  In some rare cases, due to geography, routes may exceed these parameters.

The school bus is considered an extension of the classroom under the Education Act where students are responsible and accountable for their actions.  Any concerns should be discussed with your child’s school Principal.

If you have a concern regarding the driving ability of your child’s bus driver, Student Transportation Services should be contacted. When a concern is received by this office, the bus operator is contacted and the situation is investigated. It is important to know your child’s bus symbol.

No. If you would like to request a change to a route/stop, please contact CLASS.

A Medical Condition Notification Form is available on your Parent Portal. The form is completed by the parent electronically and is made available to your school bus driver.

In addition to the local radio stations listed below, information is also available here at on the MySBI mobile APP.

• CHOK [1070 AM]
• FOX [99.9 FM]
• K106 [106.3 FM]
• CFCO [630 AM]
• The Rock [95.1 FM]
• CKSY [94.3 FM]
• Points Eagle Radio CKPI [107.7]
• CKXS (99.1 FM)

The decision to cancel school buses is a shared responsibility between transportation services and the school bus operators.  The process incorporates real-time weather / road condition reports from a number of spotters throughout the district as well as the most current weather information available.  Cancellation information is relayed to local media and updated onto the MySBI mobile app website by 6:30 am.

The MySBI Bus Status app displays up to date bus service information for schools operated by the St. Clair Catholic and Lambton-Kent District School Boards.  The SchoolBusInfo – Bus Status app uses real-time push notification alerts to keep parents/guardians, students, and other stakeholders in Sarnia-Lambton & Chatham-Kent updated. Users can subscribe to receive alerts for Inclement weather cancellations and school bus delays.

You can contact the Transportation Department at 519-627-6860 ext 410 or toll free 1-877-330-4287.  We will be happy to answer any questions or concerns.