Ottawa Carleton District School Board | About Us | Helpful Information

SCHOOL BUS SAFETY AWARENESS DAY

Sunday, August 24, 2008 / 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Local school boards, in conjunction with the school bus operators within the city of Ottawa, will be presenting a School Bus Safety Awareness Day on Sunday, August 24, 2008, for all first-time bus riders. This co-operative venture will be held concurrently at five different school sites within the city of Ottawa.
Read more for registration information...

Ottawa Student Transportation Authority Update

Of our 69,382 students, about 31,000 require daily transportation to and from school, travelling 65,000 kilometres a day in 650 vehicles. While most of these students travel by regular yellow school bus, many require alternative modes of transportation designed to meet their special needs. The transportation eligibility distance is 800 metres for junior and senior kindergarten students, 1.6 km for grade 1 to 6 students, 3 km for students in grades 7 and 8, and 3 km for students in grades 9 to 12 who reside outside the Urban Transit Area.

Transportation Cancellations

Transportation cancellations to schools and special program sites due to bad weather or poor road conditions are announced on Ottawa radio and television stations as early as 6 am and these announcements are repeated at least twice per hour and more frequently on all-news stations, such as CFRA Radio. When we cancel transportation due to bad weather or poor road conditions, we cancel transportation TO ALL SCHOOLS. Schools remain open to students however. Currently all four local school districts make the decision collaboratively in order to reduce confusion and to ensure student safety. During bad weather conditions, we encourage you to listen to one of your local radio stations to check for school transportation cancellations.

We phone the following radio stations to report cancellations:

Station	Number on the Dial
CBC Ottawa Morning FM	91.5
CFRA AM News Talk Radio	580
CHEZ FM – Ottawa’s Classic Rock	106.1
CKBY-FM - Y101	101.1
CJMJ-FM - Majic 100	100
CFGO-AM –Team 1200	1200
CIHT FM – Hot 89.9	89.9
CKKL-FM – Bob FM	93.9
CJET –FM/Jack FM	92.3
CKQB-FM – The Bear	106.9
CISS-FM - KISS	105.3
CHRI - FM - Christian Hits	99.1
CIWW-AM - Oldies 1310	1310

CTV Ottawa - Newsline delivers local news at 7:25, 7:55 and 8:25 am on CTV's Canada AMA Channel - The A Channel Morning Show begins at 6 am and carries frequent cancellation reports. When a transportation cancellation is made, these cancellations apply to the entire school day (morning and afternoon) for all our schools. Parents should remember however that schools do remain open. Please note that students who ride school vehicles should not be driven to school unless their parents/guardians have made arrangements to pick them up at the regular dismissal time. And, IT IS A PARENT'S RIGHT NOT TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL DURING BAD WEATHER.

You can reach the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board Transportation Department from
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at 613-596-8256. or e-mail

Busing Schedules 2008-2009

Bus drivers with special education and noon-time kindergarten runs will be contacting the parents of these students personally prior to school start-up. Please note that noon time buses will be running on Tuesday, September 2, 2008. Updated bus routes will be posted in mid-August.

Are you moving over the summer?

If you are moving over the summer and believe your child qualifies for transportation but you did not notify the school prior to the summer break, please contact the Transportation Department as soon as possible at 613-596-8256. Failure to notify the school or the Transportation Division may mean no transportation can be arranged until mid-September for your children. The same condition applies for a change of caregiver address.

For better service, our Transportation Department and schools are now organized into three sections: Centre, East and West. When you call Transportation for information at 613-596-8256, you will be asked whether you need information for centre, east or west.

All following schedules and maps are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin, available free from the Adobe web site, is required to view these files.

Please note that only the regular bus routes in the A.M. are published in each document. Those students who are in special education classes, who cannot find a stop in the routes published will be contacted by their drivers or they can contact the Transportation Department at 613-596-8256, to obtain their transportation arrangements. Junior or Senior kindergarten students who are transported at noon time will be contacted by their drivers prior to school starting.

Updated bus routes will be posted in mid-August

Eastern Area:

For schools from the Ottawa River south on St. Laurent Blvd. - west on Walkley Rd. to Heron Rd. - Heron Rd. to the Rideau River - south along the Rideau River to the boundary of the city of Ottawa. For any questions pertaining to this year's transportation schedules, please call the Transportation Department at 613-596-8256, ext. 8906.
East Map (PDF)
Bus routes (East)

Central Area:

For schools from the west at the Ottawa River, south on Pinecrest to Baseline Rd. - east on Baseline Rd. to Heron Rd. - Heron Rd. to Walkley Rd. - Walkley Rd. to St. Laurent Blvd. - north on St. Laurent Blvd. to the Ottawa River. For any questions pertaining to this year's transportation schedules, please call the Transportation Department at 596-8256, ext. 8907.
Central Map (PDF)
Bus routes (PDF) (Central)

Western Area:

For schools from the Ottawa River south on Pinecrest Rd. to Baseline Rd. - east on Baseline Rd. to Heron Rd. - Heron Rd. to the Rideau River - south along the Rideau River to the boundary of the city of Ottawa. For any questions pertaining to this year's transportation schedules, please call the Transportation Department at 596-8256, ext. 8908.
West Map (PDF)
Bus routes (PDF) (West)

Message To Parents/Guardians

The OCDSB has an excellent school bus safety record. We know you share our concern for the safety of every student who rides a school bus. We ask you to impress upon your child the importance of following bus safety rules and to obey the bus driver at all times.

Key School Bus Safety Rules

Please review the following rules and responsibilities with your child(ren). Please remind them of the importance of good behaviour and safe conduct while riding the bus.

	At your bus stop be properly dressed for the weather, be on time and wait in a safe place.
	Stay out of the "danger zone". If you drop something under or near the bus,tell the driver.
	Don't push or shove and make sure to use the handrail when getting on or off the bus.
	Take your seat right away and after boarding, stay seated until you leave the bus.
	Don't open the window without the bus driver's permission.
	Don't throw things inside the bus or out the window.
	Always speak softly and listen to the bus driver.
	Walk straight to the shoulder of the road or sidewalk. If you must cross the street, count out 8 to 10 steps along the curb and wait for the driver's signal. Look both ways before you cross the street.

School Bus Operator Inquiries

The following companies are contracted by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board to transport students. All have office personnel equipped to answer your questions regarding the operation of your bus routes.

B & G Bus Lines	613-825-1556
Barr Bus Lines	613-624-5260
Richard Barr	613-826-3155
Blondeau Transportation	613-749-3581
D.C. Bus Lines	613-831-9888
Gary Thompson	613-489-2156
Laidlaw Education Service (Cumberland)	613-841-8600
Laidlaw Education Service (Moodie)	613-820-7146
Laidlaw Education Service (West Carleton)	613-836-7725
Lalonde Bus Lines	613-487-2230
M. L. Bradley Ltd.	613-835-2488
O'Neil	613-832-2503
Premier Bus Lines	613-253-8863
Rideau Bus Lines	613-489-3742
Snelgrove Bus Lines	613-836-7124
Sommer Transportation Services	613-723-9677
Stock Transportation Ltd. (EAST)	613-822-8800
Stock Transportation Ltd. (WEST)	613-820-0500
Shirley Todd	613-838-2108