TRACY HUGHES
Black Press
It will be status quo for the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District buses, but fees for transportation could be on the horizon.
The transportation committee agreed to do more research into the possibility of raising revenue for the district by charging bus fees to parents.
Chris Coers, committee member and trustee, says there were many questions about charging fees including the time and effort it would cost the school district to implement and collect fees.
Trustee Michel Saab noted a fee could be implemented in different ways including charging only those riders who use the service, as many students do not access school bus services, or charge a fee to all parents and give all children the right to board a school bus.
In response to concerns from parents about school district walk limits, Coers said the current limits of four kilometres for primary students and 4.8 kilometres for the rest are consistent with many other school districts.
A change to limits similar to the Vernon School District, which are 2.4 kilometres, would cost the school district an additional $438,000 and require the purchase of eight new buses.
“The committee would suggest no changes at this time due to the fact we are in no position to sustain the new spending,” said Coers.
“The cost factors make this a non-starter.”
