Busing Frequently Asked Questions

We expect students may be on the bus between 45-90 minutes each way depending on their stop location along the route. However, factors such as student capacity, distance from school, traffic and weather conditions, etc. will affect ride times. We therefore have no firm maximum ride time.

Check the app and track the bus so you know when to leave home in the morning or when to expect your child at the end of the school day.

In the Morning: 

• Plan to be at your designated stop 5-10 minutes before the bus tracking app says it will arrive.
• If your child is not at their designated stop in the morning when the bus arrives, the driver will not wait and will continue to the next stop in order to stay on schedule for the other riders.
• If your child misses their bus, they will be expected to return home and it will be your responsibility to find an alternate way to get them to school.

After School:

• Your child needs to gather their belongings and get on the bus by 3:30 pm (Gr 10-12 students have until 3:35 because of later dismissal times). The bus leaves the school at 3:35 pm. 
• If your child is not on the bus after school, the driver does not take attendance and will not wait.
• If your child misses the bus after school, they will stay at the school and will need to be picked up by a parent or alternate transportation. Students who are at the school past 3:40 pickup time will be under the supervision of the Out Of School Care program and their program fees will be charged to your family.

School Absence:

Report school absences to the office through the usual Edsby attendance app.

There is no attendance taken on the bus. If students are not at their designated bus stop on time or are not on the bus after school it is the responsibility of the family to make alternate transportation arrangements.

• Students from Kindergarten to Grade 3 are to be met at the bus stop by a parent, guardian, or responsible older sibling. Please make sure you prepare your child to get off at the correct stop location. Ensure your child asks the bus driver if they are unsure of their stop.
• Once a child gets off the bus, the driver moves on to the next stop whether or not a parent/guardian is present. We recommend you train your child to scan the stop for you and make eye contact before getting off the bus. If your child does not see you they should alert the bus driver immediately and should not get off the bus. In most situations the student will stay on the bus and the parent/guardian should proceed to the next available stop where they can meet their child.
• If a child remains on the bus at the completion of the route, the driver will return to the school with the student and they will be supervised in the Out of School Program. Parents will be assessed a fee for the additional mileage back to the school as well as the fees associated with the Out of School Care Program. 

Parents/guardians are responsible for their child's safety and conduct while walking to, from, and waiting at a designated bus stop. 

Once the student is on their bus, the bus driver assumes responsibility

Upon arrival at school, responsibility is with the school during school hours. 

Assigned seats help us be more efficient, lessens student boarding time to get settled so we can get moving more quickly, help identify if students are absent, and ultimately helps keep ride times to a minimum. 

Assigned seats also allows us to know what student is in which seat in the event of any damage. Any repair charges due to student damages, will be the responsibility of the student/family. 

We are working on guidelines that list acceptable, limited, and restricted items on the bus.

No.

There are a few reasons why food and drink are not permitted on the bus:

1. The bus is a confined shared space there is potential for others to have allergic reactions.
2. Consuming food on the bus poses a choking risk that cannot be safely managed.
3. We also want to ensure the bus is kept tidy and that daily cleaning is kept to a minimum so limiting crumbs, spilling, packaging waste will be a big part of that.

Students riding the bus may carry a phone on the bus with a few guidelines in place:

• We prefer that students are connecting face-to-face with each other rather than focused on their devices.
• Our intention is that phones are permitted so that parents/guardians have a way to contact their child and ensure their safety during the space between bus stop and home.
• Inappropriate use of devices while riding the bus will result in the privilege of having a device being revoked. Inappropriate use includes, but is not limited to: viewing or listening to content that is disrespectful and does not align with the values held by Heritage Christian Academy; bullying or intimidating others through text or apps.
• While at school, devices will be held by the homeroom teacher of other staff during school hours per the school's policy on personal electronics.
• Phone or personal electronic devices are the responsibility of the student/family. Neither Heritage Christian Academy nor JR Transport carry any liability or responsibility for loss, theft, or damage to devices.
• Any personal device found on the bus will be turned into the school office's lost & found.

Secondary stops will not be added to the route, but if there is an existing stop located closer to a registered secondary address, your child is responsible to inform the driver and to know the stop that they will be using. 

Please visit the Apply for Bus Transportation page to apply for HCA busing.

To ensure continuity of busing from year to year, you must re-apply each spring.

You will receive an email to re-enrol each spring. Please complete the Re-Enrolment Form as soon as possible so that we have adequate time to address any changes to the route and stops for the following school year.

If you do not reapply before the last day of school, your student will be removed from the bus route for the following year. You would then have to reapply for busing and it may not be available to you if the routes or stops have changed based on those who did apply before the deadline.

For the 2025-26 school year, busing fees at HCA are $1080 per year for each student. Payment arrangements will be made with the HCESC finance staff.

For future yearss, we will we collect 25% ($270) at the time of registration, the remaining amount ($810) can be paid $90/month or based on arrangements made with the finance team when registering. 

Note: This amount reflects a significant saving over actual costs thanks to a provincial grant for busing in addition to a small portion of budgeted funds designated by the Society that are generated from the HCA rental revenues. 

We do not have a large enough pool of bus users to make it viable for casual or part time use. Our contractual obligation to the transportation provider is set and the minimum cost requires commitment to a seat on the bus full time - regardless of whether a student is physically in that seat. 

Our hope it that interest in busing at HCA continues to increase and we are then able to accommodate more flexibility due to demand.

When you register, you are committing to a seat on the bus for the duration of the school year. Because we are required to sustain a minimum number of riders to make the HCA bus program viable, we cannot cancel or refund payments. 

• an exception may be granted based on extenuating circumstances or if the seat that was assigned to you is able to be filled by another student for the remainder of your commitment.

We are only able to collect fees from one individual on the registered account. All financial arrangements (legal or otherwise) are the responsibility of the family to manage.