The Prince Albert Catholic School Division board of education received an update on the division’s transportation services during the board’s regular meeting on Monday.
There were no routes cancelled due to mechanical issues, three routes cancelled due to weather, no routes cancelled due to having no driver available and no routes cancelled for unspecified reasons.
Chief Financial Officer Greg McEwen gave the report at Monday’s meeting. It featured data from Sept. 1, 2025 until Jan. 31, 2026.
Director of Education Lorel Trumier said that weather is always a factor for bus cancelations
“Weather is always the biggest story with bus cancellation,” she said. “Sometimes we have a bus driver that will be sick but they do usually have a substitute driver that takes that role. Not always, but they do their best to make sure. But weather definitely is always our biggest reason for cancellations.”
The Bus Contractor Review and Statistics report is a periodic review of First Student compliance with their internal processes and policies along with pertinent statistics.
She said that the purpose of the report is to document these matters for the board, so they have a record of checks and balances with their contractor. Trumier said that the relationship with the contractor continues to be strong.
As of 2026, the age of the average bus is 14-years-old. Around 1,500 students were transported.
The inspection documentation portion shows that there are currently 30 drivers and one spare driver. First Student currently operates 34 vehicles in the division.
The compliance report concludes that there is nothing to indicate that First Student is not compliant with their training and inspection process.
The average capacity of buses utilized is 50 per cent. The average one-way bus ride is 45 minutes and the longest one-way bus ride is 90 minutes. There was one accident reported in the time period.
The report is compiled in consultation with the local First Student manager.
