BUS DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS
Need assistance with bus routes, bus stops, or delays? Have concerns or feedback about your child’s transportation experience? Trouble with the Parent Portal? We’re here to help!
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Effective for the 2025/2026 school year, access to student transportation information in the Parent Portal requires that your email address is listed in your student’s official school record (Aspen) under contacts.
In 1966, the Waterloo public and Catholic school boards created a joint transportation services to cut costs and streamline busing. The Ministry of Education’s student transportation reforms in 2006 sealed the amalgamation, and Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) became official in 2007.
STSWR now transports about 34,000 regular and special needs students daily via four bus operators, four taxi firms, and Grand River Transit. Routing software, staggered bell times, shared routes, and optimal loading keep operations efficient.
STSWR also supports the 50,000 students living in the walk zone with School Travel Planning measures like Trailblazers and Sidewalk Smarts that teach road safety skills, create active travel groups, and advocate for better walking infrastructure.
STSWR also runs Safety Patrol programs, including Bus Patrol, Standing Foot Patrol, and Trailblazers, and leads initiatives like School Bus Safety Week, the First Rider program, Winter Walk Day, Bike to School Week, and School Bus Driver Professional Development Day.
At STSWR, we’re committed to making school travel safer and more sustainable. Through initiatives like School Travel Planning, Anti-idling for Buses, and Drive to 5, we encourage the use of active travel, cutting emissions, driving less, and creating safer, healthier school communities for everyone.
To ensure that your student is not mistakenly placed on a bus, please complete the ‘Decline or Reinstate Transportation’ digital form. To have your student back on the bus after being removed, and if your student is still eligible for transportation, please complete the same digital form again.
Please note: If your student will occasionally be riding the bus, do not complete this form. For safety reasons, it is highly recommended that young children have a consistent travel arrangement.
Please reach out to the Transportation Planner who arranges busing for your school. You can find a complete list here.
Please reach out to the School Travel Planner who arranges busing for your school. You can find a complete list here.
Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) only coordinates transportation for eligible students attending WCDSB and WRDSB schools.
We do not arrange charter bus services.
If you’re looking to rent a bus for a private event, field trip, or other charter purposes, please contact a local bus operator directly for quotes and arrangements.
To view the list of companies STSWR contracts with, visit: www.stswr.ca/operators
Please review the Transportation Appeal Process.
For the latest daily delays, check the Delays and Cancellations
STSWR will advise, via the media and the STSWR website, of any bus cancellations due to weather. In most cases these notifications will be sent out before 7am on the day of the cancellation. Should the weather deteriorate during the day causing an early dismissal, parents/caregivers will be contacted by the school prior to the students being sent home.
For the quickest updates/notifications, please create an account on the Parent Portal (https://bpweb.stswr.ca/Login).
Updates regarding cancellations are also posted on our social media pages:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/STSWR/
Instagram – @student.transportation.stswr
Check out what’s coming up at STSWR, from walking challenges to appreciation weeks and more.