Bus fees raised by 33% for Central Okanagan students

Central Okanagan parents will have to fork over an extra $75 if they want their child to ride the bus.

The Central Okanagan Public Schools Board of Education decided to increase the yearly bus fee per student from $225 to $300 — a 33 per cent increase, during its regular board meeting Feb. 26.

Even with the fee increase, $3.1 million is still coming out of the district’s operating budget, said board chair Moyra Baxter.

The increase in fees will not reduce that $3.1 million as there was an expectation the fees would have gone up anyway next year due to inflation, she said.

The board also lowered the walking limit to three km for elementary school, four km for middle school and 4.8 km for secondary school students, Baxter said.

Currently, elementary school students who live four kilometres away and middle and high school students who live 4.8 km away are eligible for transportation.

According to a report emailed from Baxter, courtesy seats will not be provided to students that reside less than two km from their catchment school and will first be provided to elementary and middle school students. Any remaining seats will be provided to secondary school students.

“The practice to remove courtesy riders from a seat during the year to accommodate new eligible riders is discontinued,” the report said.

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