Student Transportation

Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open.

REGISTER FOR THE SCHOOL BUS

The District cannot guarantee late registrants will be approved. To help in our planning and creation of bus routes, registrations must be submitted by August 1st, 2024.  Any registrations received after this date will not be processed until October 2024.

If you have any questions or require assistance, please email:  school.bus@abbyschools.ca   

Current School Bus Fees

1. Students bused to in catchment schools and who live inside walk limit: $465 per student per year or $690 per family per year.
2. Students attending district programs and cross boundary students: $690 per student per year or $930 per family per year.
3. Students living outside the walk limits of their catchment school pay no fees.
   1. Elementary School – 3.2 km
   2. Middle School – 3.2 km
   3. Secondary School – 4.0 km

If you no longer require the school bus service, please contact Transportation by email to cancel. Otherwise, payment will be expected. 

The Transportation Department does not take cancellations over the phone.

EMAIL TRANSPORTATION

How do I find my catchment area?

• Enter your street name into Schools Locator; or
• View District catchment maps:
  • Neighbourhood areas grades K-5
  • Neighbourhood areas grades 6-8
  • Neighbourhood areas for grade 9-12
  • Neighbourhood areas for French Immersion schools (grades K-5)

Please note: this information is provided as a tool to assist in determining attendance areas. It is recommended that the school catchment maps and school locator be used together to confirm a school boundary. If you have any questions after consulting the information via this website, including whether your home falls within a school catchment, please contact the District office at (604) 859-4891.

The purpose of this procedure is to define the circumstances and conditions under which transportation to and from school will be provided for Abbotsford School District students and to outline the special circumstances where the district will provide parents or other providers with financial assistance for transportation costs for students. This section sets walk limits for catchment and out of catchment students, and provides guidelines for student conduct, supervision, and discipline. 

READ MORE

By adhering to the following rules, students will ensure maximum safety for themselves, their bus driver, and other drivers. 

DO's:

• Sit in the seat assigned to you during the entire trip unless authorized by the driver to change seats
• Remain seated at all times -- facing forward with legs and feet clear of the aisle area and with feet on the floor
• Keep head and arms inside the bus when the windows are open
• Be absolutely quiet when approaching and while stopped at a railway crossing
• Provide the driver with your correct name when asked

Do Not: 

• Push or shove enroute to your seat
• Throw paper or any other projectile
• Mark, cut and/or deface seats
• Bring skis and poles on the bus

All Students Must Not:

• Push, shove, or hit one another
• Smoke or Vape
• Light lighters, matches, or firecrackers
• Swear
• Fight
• Be excessively loud
• Refuse to share a seat

READ THE CODE OF CONDUCT

Reminder: Studies show the safest mode of transportation to school for students is on board a School Bus.

The school bus is an extension of the classroom. Student behaviour is expected to be consistent with acceptable behaviour in class, as serious safety concerns can result from poor behaviour. According to school bus rules, the driver is responsible for maintaining order on the bus. SAFETY, ORDER and RIGHTS are posted inside each school bus. Students who misbehave on a bus may first receive a verbal warning. If this warning is not responded to appropriately, the principal shall make a report, and parents will be notified.

A suspension of riding privileges may occur, if:

• A student's inappropriate behaviour continues; and/or
• A flagrant act of misbehaviour occurs, such as vandalism, direct disobedience, foul language, etc.

If riding privileges are suspended, the parents and the school will be immediately informed. Students will not be discharged from the bus on route but may be returned to the school by the driver.

Types of Infractions

• Refusing to obey the instructions of the driver
• Extending part of the body out of the window
• Failing to remain seated while the vehicle is in motion
• Being disrespectful of others
• Fighting
• Smoking
• Causing willful damage
• Using obscene language
• Throwing objects
• Any conduct that would be permitted in a classroom

Bus stops are located in a safe place and are designed to accommodate as many students as possible. Students may be requested to walk up to 1.6 km to a bus stop. Stops are located either approximately 50 m prior to or after an intersection to ensure that the bus does not impede traffic at the intersection. School District buses do not travel on unmaintained or not exit streets. Routes and stops are structured to stay on main roadways in our district. Students are requested to be at their bus stop 5 minutes prior to their departure time.

Weather conditions and mechanical breakdowns can occur and cause delays. A route may take 50% longer to complete in adverse weather conditions. If a bus does not arrive in fifteen minutes, you will need to make alternate arrangements for your child. Please equip your student with a family safety plan if the bus has a lengthy delay.

During the late fall and winter months, it is necessary to temporarily close a school or schools when weather conditions might endanger the safety of students. The Superintendent of Schools has authority on behalf of the Board, to temporarily close a school or schools. Several factors go into this decision and are highlighted on the school district's website under "Winter Weather Procedures".

If families believe their local conditions are unsafe, they may keep their child at home or arrange for their early dismissal. To alert parents, the school district has various means of communicating a decision to close a school or schools:

• District Website - www.abbyschools.ca
• Social Accounts - @AbbotsfordSD
• SchoolMessenger Email / Phone Calls

Or call the transportation office, (604) 855-5278.

Students are reminded to listen closely when the driver explains and instructs Safe Bus Evacuations drills annually.

Abbotsford School District takes great interest in kindergarten students’ first days of school.  Once the regular school schedule is followed, Kindergarten students will be transported on the bus on their scheduled bus runs. The dispatch office will be instructing drivers on the first days of school for the kindergarten students, ensuring the drivers know that they have kindergarten students on their buses.

During the student's first year of school, busing will follow the process below for kindergarten students.

1. Morning (Pick-up) – An adult or older sibling must bring students to the bus.
2. Afternoon (Drop-off) – Students will take the bus home and be dropped off at a designated bus stop. Those students who do not have older siblings to walk home with must be met at the school bus door by a parent or designated guardian.

Should no one appear at the bus stop within a reasonable time (2-3 minutes), the driver will keep the student on board and continue with the bus route.  At this point, the student will not be dropped off but will be returned to the school.