Bus passes are required to ride the school bus, even on the first day of school. Please apply for busing to ensure you have a bus pass.
AM I ELIGIBLE FOR
BUSING?
To
be eligible for a bus pass a student must live within the Grande Prairie city
limits and:
- attending kindergarten to grade 3 and living 1.7 km or more by the shortest route from the closest school within the attendance boundary,
- attending grades 4 to 12 and living 2.4 km or more by the shortest route from the closest school
within the attendance boundary
- students attending Composite High for IB program living 2.4 km or more from Composite High
- Exceptions
are:
- Students attending Aspen Grove (2022/2023 school year) and Ecole Montrose having to cross Resources Road living less than 2.4 km
- Students attending Hillside Community School living in the Smith subdivision *New for 2021/2022*
- K-12 special needs students attending a designated school program living 2.4 km or more. Special needs students living less than 2.4 km may be eligible for busing if they are coded 41-44, or 46
- School of Choice students (Alexander Forbes Academy, Charles Spencer Academy (not including Academy Athletics), Christian, Montessori) living more than 2.4 km from their School of Choice may have busing for a fee from an existing stop if there is room on the bus
- Bridge students living 2.4 km or more away from Lions Learning have to be taking a minimum 50% course load
ALL STUDENTS WILL BE ASSIGNED A SEAT ON THEIR RESPECTIVE BUS. THIS IS THEIR SEAT FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR AND THIS IS THE SEAT THE STUDENT IS TO BE SITTING IN. WE MAKE EVERY ATTEMPT TO SIT SIBLINGS TOGETHER; HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. DEPENDING ON HOW FULL THE BUS IS, STUDENTS MAY END UP SITTING WITH NON-FAMILY MEMBERS AND THREE STUDENTS PER SEAT.
STUDENTS LIVING LESS THAN 2 KM FROM THEIR BOUNDARY SCHOOL MAY HAVE TO OPTION OF PAYING FOR BUSING. THIS WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE END OF OCTOBER AND IS DEPENDANT ON IF A STOP IS IN THE AREA AND THERE IS ROOM ON THE BUS.
I
LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE GRANDE PRAIRIE CITY LIMITS, CAN I GET BUSING?
There is no busing outside the City of Grande Prairie city limits. Transportation may be accessed from an existing bus stop within the city limits for a fee if there is room on the bus. Please contact GPPSD Transportation Department (780) 539-7419.
I AM NOT ELIGIBLE FOR BUSING BUT I ATTEND A GPPSD SCHOOL. IS BUSING
AVAILABLE?
Transportation may be accessed from an existing bus stop for a fee if there
is room on the bus. Students requesting bussing who live less than 2 km from their school will have their applications processed in October. Please contact GPPSD Transportation Department (780)
539-7419.
I HAVE A BOUNDARY EXEMPTION CAN I ACCESS BUSING?
Boundary exemptions do not include transportation. There will be no buses available cross boundaries for non-program students.
I AM A PAID BUS RIDER. HOW
MUCH WILL IT COST?
For the 2021/2022 school year full day bussing is $32/month per student. Half day bussing (kindergarten and Montessori preschool) is $58/month per student.
HOW DO I PAY FOR BUSING?
Busing fees are to
be paid for the entire school year in full through PowerSchool prior to the
student receiving their bus pass.
I
CANNOT PAY MY BUSING FEES IN FULL. CAN I MAKE MONTHLY PAYMENTS?
Pre-authorized debit is available if you cannot pay your busing fee in full. The first month's
payment is paid when submitting the preauthorized debit form to the Transportation Department. Payments will be
withdrawn from your account on the first of
every month. You will not be able to ride the bus until the first month's fee AND the filled out preauthorized debit form are received by the Transportation Department
I PAY FOR BUSSING AND MY
CHILD IS NO LONGER RIDING THE BUS. WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES?
If
your child is not riding the bus, please get their bus pass in to the GPPSD
Transportation Department as soon as possible. Parents are
responsible for payment of the bus pass until the bus pass is handed back into the Transportation Department. We
require two weeks' notice when cancelling a pre-authorized debit.
HOW DO I RECEIVE A BUS PASS?
A bus pass application must be filled out to receive a bus pass.
Applications can be filled out through your
Parent Portal and clicking on SchoolEngage. The link for the Parent Portal can be found on the Busing page.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR ME TO RECEIVE MY BUS PASS?
The
processing of the bus pass application may take up to 10+ working days except at
the beginning of the school year; if you have applied after the June 30 deadline your pass will be processed in the order it is received, with no
guarantee of processing times. The parent/guardian is responsible for the
transportation of the student until they receive their bus pass from the school. *No temporary passes will be issued, and you will not be able to ride the bus until your receive your bus pass*
WHERE DO I PICK UP MY BUS PASS?
Your bus pass will be available for pick up at your school office once it
is processed.
I LOST MY BUS PASS OR MY BUS PASS IS DAMAGED. HOW CAN I GET A NEW
PASS?
If a bus
pass is lost or damaged in any way a replacement bus pass application can be filled out through your
Parent Portal and clicking on SchoolEngage. The link for the Parent Portal can also be found on the Busing page. This form is called "Replacement Bus Pass Application".
I HAVE A PRESCHOOL/KINDERGARTEN STUDENT ON THE BUS. WHAT SAFETY MEASURES ARE TAKEN
FOR MY CHILD?
Montessori preschool students and all kindergarten students are to sit at the front of the bus
and must be met at the bus stop by a responsible caregiver. The responsible
caregiver must be at the bus stop where the student and bus driver can see them.
If there is no responsible caregiver at the bus stop the student will remain on
the bus and all measures will be made to contact the parents. If the parents are
not reachable by the time the driver is finished his/her route the student will
be taken back to the First Student office (780) 532-3545. In extreme cases the
police and Child Services will be involved.
CAN MY PRESCHOOL/KINDERGARTEN STUDENT WALK HOME ALONE? WHAT IF I GIVE PERMISSION?
No. Preschool/Kindergarten students need to be met and walk home with a responsible caregiver.
CAN MY PRESCHOOL/KINDERGARTEN STUDENT WALK HOME WITH AN OLDER
SIBLING?
Yes, as long as the parents have given written permission to the Transportation Department and First Student.
WHY CAN'T
THE BUS STOP AT MY HOUSE? IT DRIVES RIGHT BY.
We must be diligent in keeping our ride times to a minimum; therefore, we
cannot stop at each student's house. Transportation takes into consideration the
age of the children, the proximity of the stops, and the accessibility of
roadways when planning routes.
DOES SOMEONE FROM THE SCHOOL MEET THE BUS WHEN IT ARRIVES AT THE
SCHOOL?
Please contact your school directly to discuss the supervision process they
have in place at their school.
CAN MY CHILD BRING A FRIEND HOME WITH THEM ON THE BUS OR GO HOME WITH A
FRIEND ON ANOTHER BUS?
No. Every student riding the bus must be a registered bus rider; have a bus pass; and be assigned a seat on the bus to ride the bus. Each student must be riding their assigned bus and sitting in their assigned seat.
IF MY CHILD IS NOT GOING TO BE RIDING THE BUS DO I NEED TO INFORM
ANYONE?
If your child is riding a regular route the bus will still stop at all
designated stops, so you do not need to inform anyone. However, if your child is
on a Special Needs route, School of Choice bus, or is a 1/2 day
kindergarten/Montessori preschool student you are on a special route and will need to
contact First Student at (780) 532-3545.
HOW DO I CONTACT MY BUS DRIVER?
Our busing services are contracted by First Student and their phone number
is (780) 532-3545.
THE WEATHER IS REALLY BAD OUTSIDE AND VERY COLD. WILL THE BUS BE
RUNNING?
We make every effort to get the students to/from school in all weather
situations. Buses will run to a temperature of -40 degrees Celsius without the
wind-chill or -48 degrees Celsius with the wind-chill. Temperatures are looked at at 6 am on the Government of Canada weather website Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately (i.e.. hats, gloves,
snow pants, winter jacket, winter boots)
AP-132 Inclement Weather and Other Emergencies
HOW LONG SHOULD MY CHILD WAIT FOR THEIR BUS AT THE BUS STOP?
Students should not wait longer than 10 minutes after their bus is supposed
to arrive. If their bus is more than 10 minutes late students should go back
home or to a safe place designated by parents and call their parents
HOW DO I KNOW IF THE BUSES ARE LATE OR CANCELLED?
First View is your best place to get notifications of late or cancelled buses. You can download the First View App
here. You can also sign up for busing alerts and cancellations on the main transportation page All bus cancellations are posted on www.gppsd.ab.ca on the busing alerts section of the transportation page. We also announce bus cancellations on five Grande Prairie radio stations, use social media, and send a push notification through First View.
MY CHILD MISSED GETTING OFF THE BUS AT THEIR STOP
If your child does not get off of the bus at their stop, they are to stay on
the school bus and parents can pick their child up at the First Student office
at 11456 97 Avenue. The bus driver cannot bring your child back to the stop. If
you contact First Student, you can meet the bus at a stop on the route. You
should be at that stop waiting before the bus arrives as the driver is not able to wait. First Student's number is (780) 532-3545.
IF I HAVE A BUSING CONCERN HOW DO I ADDRESS IT?
If you have any questions or concerns with the busing, please contact the
Grande Prairie Public School District Transportation Department at (780) 539-7419.
