Important Messages from OSTA (school bus company)
Are you Moving or Changing Daycare Providers?
Information accuracy affects OSTA’s planning. Any changes to your home or alternate addresses must be provided to your school. It is critical that parents and guardians provide their school with any changes to home/alternate addresses AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to
avoid extended waiting for a transportation change in the fall.
Joint Custody and Transportation to Two Homes – Renewals
Important Deadline – Joint Custody renewals must be done every year. The renewal form for existing variable transportation arrangements (Joint Custody) is available online.
Renewal Joint Custody Forms must be submitted NO LATER THAN June 30 by at least one parent/guardian.
Empty Seats/Courtesy Seating for the 2024-25 School Year
Empty Seats/Courtesy program will NOT be reinstated in September. We will re-evaluate this decision later in the fall when we have better visibility on the status of our services.
OSTA’s Parent Web Portal (Bus Stop Finder) will be closed from the end of June until mid-August. The portal will reopen with next year’s transportation information. Please regularly check OSTA’s website and social media pages for important transportation announcements, deadlines, and other vital information.
Not Using the Bus Next Year? Let OSTA Know by Declining Transportation
Are you eligible for transportation but not using it next year? Decline today. Keeping OSTA informed is important as it allows us to better use available transportation services for those who need them. For more information, visit OSTA’s website.
School Zone Safety and Walk-A-Block
Help make your school zone safer. Reduce congestion around your school site by parking
away from it and using #Walk-a-Block instead. Find your school map here
School Bus and Pedestrian Safety Day
Learn all about school bus and pedestrian safety at OSTA’s safety day event on Sunday, Aug. 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Children can ride a real bus and participate in pedestrian safety training with the Ottawa Safety Council. For more information and to register, visit OSTA’s website. OSTA also provides extensive resources on its website, including several age-appropriate bus safety videos, which are easily accessible to parents/guardians. Parents/guardians are encouraged to visit the website with their child(ren) prior to the start of the new school year.
Take the Wheel and Drive Yellow Today
Looking for a satisfying part-time job that fits your work-life balance? Take the wheel and drive yellow. Yellow school bus drivers are impactful workers who are highly valued by our communities for getting kids safely to school. Visit driveyellow.ca for more information on becoming a school bus driver.
BusPlanner Web Account
Are you seeking information about your child’s bus stop location and pick up/drop off time? Once you have created a subscriber account in BusPlanner Web you can add your child. Simply input their OEN (Ontario Education Number) along with their birthdate, grade, and the school they attend, and you will have access to all of your child’s transportation information. The OEN can be found on your child’s report card or by contacting your child’s school.
Summer Communication
As a commitment to transparency, OSTA will continue to provide bus driver status updates throughout the summer as it gears up for another school year. OSTA is dedicated to providing students with a safe way to travel to and from school while giving parents/guardians the peace of mind they deserve. Updates will be available on the OSTA website.