Calgary 
Alberta is investing $414 million as part of Budget 2023 over the next three years in school transportation so more students can take the bus leading to families saving money and rural students having shorter rides, says the provincial government in a news release.
Currently, school authorities transport over 300,000 or 42% of Alberta’s students, and about 253,000 are eligible for provincially funded transportation services.
According to the news release, the regulatory changes in Budget 2023 will make 80,000 additional students eligible for provincial transportation funding, including 47,000 students who pay a fee to use bus services leading to parents saving more than $20 million.
The government will reduce the eligibility distance for government-funded busing service from 2.4 kilometres to one kilometre for Grade 1 to 6 students and two kilometres for Grade 7 to 12 students, starting from September 1, 2024.
Per the news release, this reduction will enable about 33,000 students to use a school bus, and approximately 250 additional bus routes will be required to accommodate the remaining 13,000 students. Alberta says school authorities that want to implement these changes in the 2023-24 school year can do so.
Budget 2023 will also provide funding for an additional 100 bus routes serving rural students, which is expected to reduce rural ride times by about 9%.
Increased funding for driver training will also support 1,250 drivers, including 350 new drivers, and increase the driver workforce by six per cent.
Alberta says the government will also continue the Fuel Price Contingency Program for the 2023-24 school year, which provides school authorities with additional funding to address high fuel costs and protect school bus services.
School transportation funding will increase by $93.5 million in 2023-24, $160 million in 2024-25 and $160 million in 2025-26.
