FAQs & Contact Transportation
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. We do not qualify for transportation but would like to access your transportation services. What is the process?
A. Our transportation service for ineligible students is provided on a first come-first-served basis after all students who qualify for transportation are accommodated. Priority will then be given to students whose residence (home address) is located furthest away from the school they are attending.
Please submit an application through the "Apply for Transportation" page. If there is room on the bus, Transportation Services will contact you in October to advise you. Your child may only start using FSD’s transportation services once the approval and bus information has been given.
Please Note: The provision of transportation will be reviewed on an annual basis subject to availability and other conditions outlined on page 1 of this document. There is no guarantee that space will be available from one year to the next depending on the number of students who qualify for no-fee transportation and choose to use the service.
Q. My child’s other parent and I are separated/divorced. Our child spends part of their time at our respective residences. Can we use two different addresses to determine pick-up/drop-off locations?
A. In accordance with Alberta Education funding guidelines, transportation routes are developed based on a single home address, which is also used to determine a student’s designated school. More than half of FSD’s student population rides our school buses on a daily basis, so routing and scheduling is a major logistical undertaking. It is not practical to keep track of which home a child is staying at on any given day or week.
Q. I drop off my child at a day home/daycare centre located in our designated school attendance boundary before the buses begin running. Are we still eligible to receive no-fee transportation?
A. No Fee Transportation services can be provided if your daycare is along your designated bus route. Transportation routes are developed based on a student's residence (home address), which is also used to determine their designated school. To accommodate a daycare request your child care provider must meet your child's assigned bus at a scheduled stop. It is not possible to provide alternate stops dependent on daycare service days.
Q. Our child attends a school within our designated school attendance boundary. However, I drop off my child at a day home/daycare centre located outside our attendance boundary. Are we still eligible to receive no fee bussing?
A. We can accommodate your request providing your child care provider is able to meet your child’s assigned bus at a scheduled stop along the route. We are unable to add additional stops to a route based on a day home/daycare address. In accordance with Alberta Education funding guidelines, transportation routes are developed based on a student’s residence (home address), which is also used to determine their designated school.
Q. We live on a cul-de-sac. Will the bus drive onto our street to pick up my child?
A. FSD buses do not enter cul-de-sacs that are less than 800 meters in length for safety and scheduling reasons. It is more difficult and time-consuming for a driver to maneuver in a smaller cul-de-sac.
Q. We live on an acreage. Will the bus drive up our road to drop off my child closer to our house?
A. FSD buses do not enter or travel up private roads. A private road can vary in distance and maintenance. For safety and scheduling purposes FSD buses remain on municipal roads.
Q. What are the guidelines on how far my child may be required to walk to meet the bus and/or walk home after they’re dropped off at the end of the school day?
A. As per the School Act, a school division must provide a bus stop within 2.4 kilometres of a student’s residence. Several factors determine bus stop locations including safety, road conditions, terrain and visibility, traffic volumes, roadway speed limits, and distance between stops. Whenever possible, the Division locates stops by public areas such as parks and pedestrian walkways for safety and ease of access.
Q. How does FSD deal with situations where a student is attending a regional program but lives in a community where it isn’t practical to offer bus service?
A. At the Board’s discretion, transportation will be provided by alternate means (e.g. taxi service or by a parent/adult who will receive a transportation allowance).
Q. What if my child is directed by FSD to attend a school or program in another jurisdiction?
A. At the Board’s discretion, transportation will be provided by regular school bus, or via alternate transportation (e.g. taxi service or by a parent/adult who will receive a transportation allowance).
Q. We live within FSD’s boundaries but have decided to send our child to another school jurisdiction. Who is responsible for transportation?
A. Contact the school jurisdiction your child will be attending. FSD does not transport children whose families choose to send them to school in another school jurisdiction.
Contact Transportation:
T: 403-652-6547
F: 403-652-1102
