Some parents in the Halifax area say their children are arriving so late to school because of the bus schedule that they’re receiving phone calls about late arrivals.
Paula Wrathrall of Sackville, N.S., says her oldest son isn’t able to get on the early bus because it’s full, so he has to wait for the second one.
She says it’s causing unnecessary confusion.
"There was like a 10-minute delay, he was late, and I had a call from a friend yesterday who got a call from safe arrival,” says Wrathrall. “Her son was on the exact same bus. Safe arrival's wondering where her child was."
Wrathrall says the second bus making her child late is a frequent occurrence.
“This is the fourth morning now,” she says. “The first week at school was great, no problem whatsoever, all the kids got on the bus."
Stock says they've had an influx in enrollment this school year, and they are monitoring the schedules closely.
"We are taking this influx into account, updating routes and monitoring them to ensure that they are efficient. We will continue to monitor the routes and adjust where needed," says Dave Wright, chair of the Halifax Regional School Board.
Wright says there have been a lot more complaints than usual.
"I would say in the multiple dozens,” Wright says. “Normally I would get 10 or 12 at the beginning of the year."
Wright says contractual issues around the teachers’ job action last year and changes in courtesy busing have complicated matters.
The school board says it’s working with Stock Transportation to iron out problems and hopes to have a smoother rollout in the next school year.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw.
