BVCS will be operating two buses and two regular routes for the 2022/23 school year.
After input from our parent community and careful deliberation by several committees, BVCS is moving ahead with plans for two full-time routes beginning in September. We understand that for many in our school, bus service is more than a convenience: it is a necessity. We are committed to operating with this service model for the 2022/23 year. The model will be evaluated during and after the 2022/23 year and assessed for its operations and sustainability.
Running two full-time routes will mean:
- we’ll need to purchase another bus. We are in process of purchasing a used bus from SD54.
- we’ll need to hire another driver, as well as build a list of substitute drivers.
- Kathy Barendregt will continue to drive and will be named as Bus Transportation Manager, looking after route scheduling, bus maintenance and day-to-day operations.
BVCS is currently working with St. Joseph’s School to conclude a busing agreement for the 2022/23 school year. We very much appreciate the flexibility and understanding of the St. Joseph’s community and administration as we stumbled through the January to June period with ailing buses and incomplete service. Next year we’ll have more reliable buses. We are also in communication with another school authority to provide service to them as well.
We have carefully considered many aspects of the service model for which we are planning. Our cost/revenue projection shows that this can only be done at significant cost to BVCS, even after revenues from family fees and service fees to other schools. The operational costs do not include the capital lay-out of acquiring the buses. Given the significant impact this will have on our school’s operational budget, we are compelled to charge each bus family a fee of $500 for the year. This fee will not be pro-rated (i.e. it’s the same regardless of when a family enrols in the bus) and will not be refundable (we will not refund in whole or part any bus fees if a family leaves early, moves, etc.). Our costs—capital and operational—do not significantly change with ridership levels. Revenue from family fees and school service fees do not come close to full cost recovery…BVCS will be running this service at a high budget cost.
We recognize that many (most?) schools of our size do not offer any bus transportation at all. We are delighted that we have the resources to do this, and we hope that many families will take advantage of this service.
We serve a broad geographic area, and two buses cannot serve all families. By registering early, you will help us to plan routes that will serve as many as possible.
More information about the BVCS bus is available here. Information will be updated as it becomes available.
Register for bus service