WEYBURN - The semi-annual report on transportation systems, vehicles and facilities was delivered to the South East Cornerstone Public School Division’s board of trustees by director of education Lynn Little during the board’s general business session June 15.
Little provided the information to the board on behalf of Andy Dobson, the SECPSD manager of transportation and facilities who was unable to attend in person.
The total number of students transported to schools in the widespread school division has increased by over 400 compared with the January report. A total of 4,190 students, or approximately half of the division’s total student population are riding the buses to and from school.
The report noted two Weyburn city routes have been added since the January report was filed, so it’s now 157 routes as opposed to the original 155, recognizing the opening of the new Legacy Park Elementary School that has recently opened.
There were a number of route cancellations in the last half of the school year, 1,842 in all over the 157 bus routes.
The cause of cancellations included mechanical concerns for 93 half-day cancellations plus 659 half days due to weather and 305 full days due to weather concerns and another 161 half days lost on bus routes due to lack of a substitute driver.
That reason also accounted for a total of 624 full-day cancellations.
The average one-way ride time in the SECPSD system is still approximately 48 minutes with the longest one-way drives being the Estevan-Torquay route and the Weyburn-Oungre route, which take about 90 minutes each.
The main challenge, Little reported, continues to be the lack of spare bus drivers.
