Transportation Frequently Asked Questions
Registration
Q. How do I determine what school catchment my child(ren) will be in?
A. Click here 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 is a great resource for your planning.
Q. How do I register my child for student transportation?
A. Once your school registration is completed, your child will be automatically assigned to routes by HRCE, if bus eligible. There is no need to register for busing. Students are assigned to routes based on their residence or alternate address information in PowerSchool, if eligible. All transportation addresses must be in catchment of the student’s assigned school.
If your child is eligible for transportation, we will send you an email by the end of July to access the Parent Portal to review your child’s bus information for the 2023-24 school year.
Q. Who do I contact to change my address if we are moving?
A. During the summer from July 1 to August 25, 2023, families can change their primary/residential address information online by filling out the HRCE Active Student Change of Address Form found on our Student Registration page. As of August 28, 2023, families can continue to change their address online, or contact their child’s school.
Q. How do I add or change my daycare’s address?
A. If you would like to add or updated your alternate address (e.g. daycare or after-school program), you may contact the Student Transportation Team directly year-round by calling 902-431-4723 or emailing transportation@hrce.ca.
Please note that changes to address information on file may affect bus routing and eligibility.
Students are assigned to routes based on their residence or alternate address information in PowerSchool, if eligible. All transportation addresses must be in catchment of the student’s assigned school. You can check your transportation eligibility at hrcetransportation.mybusplanner.ca.
Parents/guardians can identify an alternate residence address for either AM pick-up, PM drop-off, or both, provided:
- the change is consistent 5 days a week,
- the requested stop is already established on an existing route serviced by that school,
- the alternate residence address is within the school catchment (not out-of-catchment area), and
- there is sufficient space on the bus.
Q. How do I arrange transportation for my child with special needs?
A. There is a process to determine transportation requirements for a child with special needs. To initiate this process, please contact your child’s school. The principal will work with HRCE’s Student Services team to assess the student’s need and requirements for transportation.
If approved, busing will be provided to your child, regardless of the distance you live from the school in your catchment. A member of our Student Transportation Team will reach out by August with busing details for your child, once routing is finalized.
Note: If you are registering your child with special needs for school during the summer, a member of our Student Transportation Team will connect with you by late August to make sure you are ready for the 2023-24 school year.
Q. How do I arrange transportation for my child if we are a family with custodial arrangements?
A. For families with custodial arrangements, please contact us to ensure your residence or alternate addresses are entered in PowerSchool under transportation information.
Routes are assigned based on student’s transportation address information in PowerSchool. All addresses must be bus eligible. Check your transportation eligibility by clicking here.
Eligibility
Q. Is my child bus eligible? How do I check my child’s transportation eligibility?
A. Visit hrcetransportation.mybusplanner.ca and click “Am I Eligible for Student Transportation?”
Q. What if my child is an out-of-area student, or I want them to attend an out-of-area daycare/camp or after-school program? Are they eligible for student transportation?
A. By accepting an out-of-area transfer, families are responsible for transporting their child to and from school. Click here to learn more about eligibility for transportation or contact the HRCE Student Transportation Team.
Q. How far do I have to live from the school to be eligible for school bus transportation?
A. Transportation must be made available to elementary students and children attending Pre-Primary programs who live more than 1.6 km from their school in their designated catchment area. Transportation must be made available to students in middle and secondary grades who live more than 2.4 km from their school in their designated catchment area. Please check your eligibility at hrcetransportation.mybusplanner.ca.
Q. My child wants to go to a friend’s house or after-school program. Can they take a bus that is not their assigned bus?
A. No. This is a safety issue. We are responsible for your child(ren) during the school day, and we take that responsibility seriously. We need to know where all students are at all times and students should only be riding the bus routes that they are assigned to in BusPlanner Parent Portal.
Q. My child isn’t eligible for transportation and I disagree. Who do I contact?
A. If you have any questions, please contact 902-431-4723 or transportation@hrce.ca.
Transportation Review Committee for Policy Review
As part of the new provincial School Transportation Policy, families are now able to request a review of any non-behaviour related transportation decision. Click here to learn more.
Routing
Q. When will I know my child’s route and bus stop?
A. If your child is eligible for transportation, we will send you an email by the end of July to access the BusPlanner Parent Portal to review your child’s bus information for the 2023-24 school year.
Our Student Transportation Team will be reaching out to new-to-HRCE families and those families who may require special needs transportation for their children this summer.
Don't forget to review your child’s route information in late August before school starts. Even if you have reviewed the information earlier in the summer, route adjustments may have been made.
Please Note: You will need to click the dropdown box by Name on the top of the My Students section in your Parent Portal account to view each of your children's transportation information.
Q. How far will my child have to walk to get the bus?
A. In general, HRCE plans bus stops to ensure students have to walk no more than 800 metres to their nearest bus stop. However, in some areas, this distance may be longer if the bus is unable to safely access a closer stop.
Q. I have other children at home and cannot accompany my child to the bus. Can the bus make an extra stop at my house?
A. It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to get students safely to designated stops. These stops are chosen for a variety of safety and efficiency reasons. Extra stops cannot be added to accommodate individual families.
BusPlanner Parent Portal
Q. How do I subscribe to notifications about my child’s bus?
A. Once their BusPlanner Parent Portal account has been activated. all bus eligible families will be automatically signed up to receive email notifications about their child's busing information (including bus routing changes, bus delays or cancellations). You do not need to subscribe to notifications.
Q. Can I receive notifications via text message?
A. Yes. To ensure compliance with Canadian Anti-Spam laws, you must opt-in to receive information by text message. Click here for more information.
Unassigned Seats Update
Q. How can I apply for an unassigned seat?
A. Starting on July 19, 2023, families can apply for an unassigned seat for the 2023-24 school year. Even if families applied last year, you must reapply every year for an unassigned seat.
Applications can be completed online by clicking here or by contacting 902-431-4723 or transportation@hrce.ca.
Click here for the conditions of an unassigned seat.
Q. When will I find out if my child gets a seat?
A. Families will be emailed approval for a seat starting September 30 or earlier if possible, if seating is available.
Student registration is open throughout the summer and into September. We are first required to provide bus routes to students eligible for transportation, and it keeps us busy at the start of school.
As soon as student registration settles in September, we can determine unassigned seats and make them available. Click here for the conditions that will apply.
Other
Q. What do families with young students need to know about busing?
A. We all have a role to play in ensuring students get to and from school safely.
Parents/guardians or a designate are responsible for:
- Accompanying Pre-Primary to Grade 2 children to the bus stop a minimum of five minutes before their scheduled pick-up time, supervising them until safely boarded, and greeting the child at the stop at the end of the day. If a parent/guardian or designate is not at the stop to meet the child, families will be contacted and the child will be returned to the school for pick-up after the bus run is complete.
- Buckling and unbuckling their child from their seat at their home stop (if child is less than 40 pounds and 57 inches in height), if a seatbelt is available. Bus drivers cannot leave their seats. School staff will unbuckle and buckle children at the school.
To help our youngest riders arrive to/from school safely, we also implement the Purple Tag Program each September. This program helps school staff and bus drivers identify children in Grades Pre-Primary-2 to ensure they are not left alone at a stop and receive the assistance they may need. Families will receive a purple tag from their child’s school. For more information, click here.
Q. Who will greet my child at the school? Who will put them on the bus to come home?
A. Early Childhood Educators will greet Pre-Primary children as they arrive at school and assist them with boarding the bus at the end of the day.
Q. Will there be monitors on the buses for Pre-Primary children?
A. Four-year-olds in Nova Scotia have been bused regularly and safely for more than a decade without additional supervision. There is no additional supervision on HRCE buses.
Q. Will my child be riding the bus with older kids? Even grade 12s?
A. Your child will be on the same bus as your family, friends and neighbours from your community. This means your child will ride the bus with students that attend the same school as your child.
Contact Us
Year-round (even in the summer), the HRCE Student Transportation Team can answer your questions about school bus routes, stops and schedules. We are also available to discuss any concerns you may have about your child’s student transportation.
Please get in touch with us at 902-431-4723 or transportation@hrce.ca.