Like teachers and other school staff, local bus drivers will have the option of wearing N95 masks when kids go back to school next week.
Triboard Transportation CEO Gord Taylor says N95 masks have been sent to bus companies for their almost 900 drivers and monitors.
“Over the Christmas break we ordered sufficient N95 masks for all drivers and monitors who are on a bus to offer them an added level of safety. It’s guidance, it’s not a mandatory requirement. But, we feel that, where drivers can wear them and want to wear them, it’s just an added layer of protection for them.”
Taylor says COVID tests will also be available to bus drivers who become symptomatic during their routes, just as they will be for teachers.
Taylor also expects the bus driver shortage to continue when school resumes next week.
During the first part of the school year, he says there were a few occasions where buses had to be cancelled because they didn’t have enough drivers and that may continue to happen.
“We probably will struggle more with the Omicron virus because tracing is different now and if drivers are symptomatic, they simply need to isolate. So those isolation periods are, no doubt, going to cause us some grief in terms of providing as many drivers as we would like to provide.”
Taylor says they were facing a bus driver shortage before the pandemic hit but COVID has only exacerbated the situation.
Triboard Transportation operates 632 school bus routes across three school boards and four counties.
