A Cochrane parent is not happy with how long her child s spending on the bus each day to and from school.
The mother is among several parents who have raised concerns about Rocky View School bus ride times calling them “unacceptable.”
“I am not happy with it, it is a long wait time for my daughter,” said Erin Gale, Cochrane mother to three children who take Rocky View School buses.
Between walking time to get to the stop and ride time, it is a 70-minute commute for a one-way trip for Gale’s daughter from the Bow Meadows community to St. Timothy High School, Gale said.
“I don’t think it is acceptable – I have been taking her every morning and picking her up every day,” Gale said.
“I have tried contacting (RVS) transportation and no one has gotten back to me.”
Audrey Bloxham, director of transportation with Rocky View Schools, said the bus routes are based on the number of students enrolled and the number of stops for the route.
“We usually have the routes averaged out by July then last minute people move in and we start changing them almost daily with moving stops around, it is very fluid,” Bloxham explained.
“Our goal is to keep bus routes within an hour and we are pretty close to that goal most of the time – if we get more students then we might go over.”
The director explained that RVS is “hopeful” to have the scheduled regulated by October.
“There is no maximum ride time … and now we are in a rural area, it is very common to have a lot of places with (ride times) an hour and a half but our goal is one hour and we will stick to that,” Bloxham said.
But the Cochrane mother said she thinks the schools should be able to adjust the bus schedules to shorten the trips.
“I am wasting the whole first month driving my daughter to school, which is only two and a half miles away – it is unacceptable,” Gale said.
Rocky View School officials said parents can voice concerns about transportation but should keep in mind, alternative or additional routes can have financial impacts.
“Parents can bring up concerns for an item for the board but it could have big financial attachments to it … if I had to divide a route in half and add another bus route, it would cost twice as much money,” Bloxham said.
While the director of transportation said she has not received any complaints about long route times yet, she urges parents with concerns to contact her.
Rocky View Schools transportation officials can be contacted at [email protected].
