CALGARY – Parents of students in the Rocky View School Division are being told to settle their outstanding bus fees by mid-January.
Last week, the school board announced it would be enacting bus fees for families whose students ride the bus but live 2.4 km or further from their designated school.
Under the rules brought into effect under the NDP government, those families did not have to pay.
However, due to recent UCP budget cuts, RVSD announced it would be instituting a $308 per rider annual fee for all students who use busing services.
On Monday, the school board shared more details with parents who did not have to pay from the beginning of this year. Now, they will need to cover those costs.
According to a letter sent home to parents, families will need to pay $308 each for the first two students in their household who ride the bus with each additional rider paying $154.
Kindergarten students, as before, will be allowed to ride the bus for free.
In the letter, administrators say the change is being made to cover the $1.6 million lost in the UCP cuts on Oct. 24.
The changes are in effect for families who send their students to public and Catholic schools in the district.
Officials add the fees are retroactive to the first day of school and are expected to be paid in full by Jan. 15, 2020.
Families looking to cancel their bus services are advised to email RVSD's Transportation Services with their children's names, schools, bus route numbers and make sure to include "Bus Service Cancellation" in the subject line.
Unwanted bus passes should be returned to the Rocky View Schools Education Centre in Airdrie or to their school's office.
An estimated 13,000 students ride the bus in RVSD, officials say.
