Student Transportation

Welcome to HRCE Student Transportation

Routing is ready to review!

We recently sent an email to families who are eligible for student transportation for the 2020-21 school year with a request to activate their new Parent Portal account to review their child(ren)’s transportation information. If your child(ren) are eligible for student transportation and you have not received an email yet, please contact the Transportation Team. 

The BusPlanner Parent Portal has recently been upgraded and is now mobile friendly and easy to use! The Parent Portal allows parents/guardians to review all busing information, including bus schedules and locations and keeps families informed of transportation updates with email notifications.

We have carefully reviewed and planned bus routes and timing for the new school year so it is very important to check your busing information before the new school year begins.

How to activate your new Parent Portal account 

Once you’ve received your email, families are encouraged to follow the instructions below to activate their new Parent Portal account and review their routing for September.

Please follow these 5 simple steps to get started.

1. Click the Activate link in the email we sent you and you will be sent to the BusPlanner Parent Portal website.
    
2. Next, click Create Password (blue button).
   [Please do not change or remove your email address as shown.]
    
3. Check your email inbox again (that we’ve just emailed you at) and click on the Activate link to create your password.
    
4. Enter a New Password and Confirm New Password and click Create Password.
    
5. You will now be prompted to Log In with your email and password.

You’re done! You will now be able to access your child(ren)’s busing information and receive automatic email notifications about transportation updates.

Please note: You will need to click the dropdown box by Name on the top of the My Students section to view each of your children's transportation information.

More information on busing can be found at hrce.ca/transportation and for more information on the Back to School Plan please visit novascotia.ca/backtoschool.

If you have any questions, please contact the HRCE Transportation Team via email transportation@hrce.ca or leave a voicemail at 902-431-4723. We are working remotely and we are ready to help families.

Staying Safe on the School Bus

As per the provincial announcement of the Back to School plan, student transportation will be provided for all eligible children from Pre-Primary to Grade 12. The health and safety of children, students and staff is a priority. The HRCE is working collaboratively with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD), and Public Health and we wanted to inform you of the following:

• Because physical distancing will not always be possible on school buses, as per the Public Health order, drivers and students will be required to wear non-medical masks on school buses, with the exception of a valid medical reason. Parents are encouraged to help their children become comfortable with wearing a mask.
   
• A small number of students with sensory or health issues may not be able to tolerate wearing a mask. Parents of these students are asked to consult with their school to develop a plan for their children.
   
• More details on the provincial announcement about mandatory masks on public transportation, including school buses can be found here.
   
• Information about wearing a non-medical mask can also be found here.
   
• While riding school buses, children and students from the same household must sit together.
   
• Buses will be cleaned twice daily.
   
• High touch surfaces such as handrails will be cleaned before and after each run.

Student Transportation

Busing is provided to students living within a school’s catchment area and registered with that school, if eligible. In September, over 380 school buses will safely transport more than 25,000 HRCE students to and from school. Safety on a school bus is essential and everyone including drivers, students and families, has a role in ensuring school bus safety.

Click School Catchment to determine what school your child(ren) would attend based on your primary residence address. You can enter your street address and be shown what schools are in your catchment. If you are new to the area or looking at a home in HRM, this map is a great resource for your planning.

Please ensure your transportation information is updated.

Bus eligibility and routing are based on a student’s transportation address information in PowerSchool. HRCE Transportation depends on accurate information to plan your child’s bus routing.

If you are moving or changing daycares/ after-school programs, please contact HRCE Transportation Team via email transportation@hrce.ca or call 902-431-4723 to update your transportation information, otherwise your routing may be delayed.

Our Student Transportation Parent Portal (Parent Portal) will automatically reflect any address changes and will update routing if your child is bus eligible.

Please note: If a student attends school as an out of catchment area student, they are not eligible for transportation and parents/ guardians must make arrangements to transport their children to school.

Eligibility – New Distance Criteria for September

On June 15, 2020, the province announced a School Transportation Policy that will be effective as of September 1st, 2020. You can read more about this announcement here. One of the highlights of the new policy includes lowered distance criteria for bus eligibility. This means that more students are eligible for busing in September.

Eligibility for busing is determined on the shortest walking route from the student’s residence road-front property line to the assigned school property line.

We recognize that this is sometimes different from the distance that Google Maps (or other online tools) may provide. The new School Transportation Policy provides this definition for eligibility.

Students are assigned to routes based on their residence or alternate residence information in PowerSchool, if eligible. All transportation addresses must be in catchment of the student’s assigned school.

• Transportation is provided to children attending pre-primary programs and elementary students who live more than 1.6 km from their school in their designated catchment area.
• Transportation is provided to middle/junior high and secondary students who live more than 2.4 km from their school in their designated catchment area.

Visit hrcetransportation.mybusplanner.ca and click “Am I Eligible for Student Transportation?”

Not eligible for student transportation?

Parents/guardians are responsible for providing transportation to and from school for their child if they are not eligible for student transportation. We encourage families to plan ahead if your child is not eligible for a bus.

We are here to support families. You can contact the HRCE Transportation Team via email transportation@hrce.ca or leave a voicemail at 902-431-4723. We are working remotely and we are ready to help families.

Unassigned Seat Update

The availability of any unassigned seats for students who aren’t eligible for busing will not be determined until after September 30^th, 2020 once all bus eligible students are routed. There is no unassigned seat request process or waitlist for unassigned seats.

Who will be busing my child to school in September?

• Families can identify their school and school bus service provider for the 2020-21 school year at hrce.ca/transportation/2020.
• Please do NOT contact any of our bus service providers as all questions about busing related concerns, requests or routing should be sent to the HRCE Transportation Team.

For more information on Pre-Primary Busing, visit our frequently asked questions.

Other References

• Provincial School Transportation Policy 
• Riding the School Bus (Safety tips when waiting for and riding on a school bus)
• Transportation of Items on School Buses (What is allowed? What isn't allowed?)
• Transportation of Students - Co-curricular/Extra-curricular Trips
• School Bus Collision/Incident Protocol
• Guidelines for school and/or bus cancellations due to inclement weather
• 2019-20 Bus Routes by Family of Schools

Contact Us

During any time of the year, HRCE Transportation Team can answer your questions about school bus routes, stops and schedules. We can also available to discuss any concerns you may have about your child’s student transportation. For frequently asked questions, please click here. 

We are working remotely and we are ready to help families.

Please contact the HRCE Transportation Team via email transportation@hrce.ca or leave a voicemail at 902-431-4723.