'Biggest concern is absenteeism': School bus companies worried about cancellations due to potential driver illness

When school returns in-person Monday, school bus companies across the province are worried about potential driver shortages due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

When school returns in-person Monday, school bus companies across the province are worried about potential driver shortages due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

"The biggest concern of course, is going to be absenteeism," says Nancy Daigneault, executive director of School Bus Ontario.

"We won't know until next week, it's a really day-by-day sort of thing because drivers are going to be calling in if they're sick. We don't know what that rate is going to be, but we anticipate it'll be higher as the school week goes on."

With a five to 10 per cent cent driver shortage across the province, parents are being asked to check their local bus websites to ensure their child has a driver that day.

"It's a day-to-day concern we have as bus operators," says Rob Murphy, vice-president of Murphy Bus Lines which services Southwestern Ontario. "We're doing wellness checks with the drivers to make sure they're ready for Monday but someone could test positive and then we would be short drivers. All parents and students should continue to monitor the local consortium websites for delays and cancellations for next week"

Murphy says those websites are www.mybigyellowbus.ca in the London-Middlesex area, and www.ourschoolbuses.ca in Huron-Perth.

That same concern goes for the drivers behind the wheel.