TRANSPORTATION ELIGIBITY REQUIRMENTS FOR STUDENTS
Background
School bus transportation service in Central Okanagan Public Schools is a voluntary service the Board of Education chooses to provide for its students. Transportation services is with operational monies at a cost of $4 million dollars annually.
Transportation service levels are set by the Board of Education under Policy 470 and 475 and Policy Regulation 470R and 475R.
Processing school bus transportation applications for the upcoming school year (2025-2026) is prioritized based on applications received between February 3 and May 31, 2025.
Student Eligibility for School Bus Transportation (as per Policy 470R)
Eligible Riders
School bus transportation service is provided for eligible students attending their English catchment school, who meet the distance criteria set out below:
Elementary School Students: 3 Kms or more from their catchment school
Middle School Students: 4 Kms or more from their catchment school
High Schools Students: 4.8 Kms or more from their catchment school
Courtesy Riders
School bus transportation for students who are less than the distance requirements set out above are considered courtesy riders and will only be assigned a seat if there is space available on the bus route.
- Applications for courtesy riders received before June 1 are processed in July. Parents are advised to have alternate transportation arrangements in place, in the event a courtesy seat is not available for their child.
- Seats that are not required for eligible students will be made available for courtesy riders and assigned first to Elementary and then Middle school students using the following criteria, on a route by route basis:
a) Furthest home to school distance
b) If distance is the same, grade level
c) If distance and grade level are the same, application date and timestamp
- Seats that are not required for eligible or elementary and middle school courtesy riders, will then be assigned to courtesy students at secondary schools.
- Students who have been approved by Student Support Services as requiring transportation for special needs are prioritized in the seat assignment.
As per Policy 470R - Transportation service will not be provided for:
a) students who reside less than 2 Kms from their English catchment school
b) students attending a school of choice outside their English school catchment area
c) applications for a seat on a second school bus route will not be assigned until all applications received before September 30 have been processed. Parents will be advised if a seat on the second school bus route is available after this date.
Use the following link to determine your child's English catchment school of attendance: (Transportation service is only provided to the students English catchment school)
Catchment Area Maps