Frequently Asked Questions

Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to calculate the distance for transportation eligibility. Distances are measured from the end of your property to the closest access point to the school–not door to door. The maps used are provided by the Region of Waterloo, not Google Maps, and include designated pathways and access points. Find your student’s transportation eligibility.

STSWR works with the Region of Waterloo, local Municipalities and Townships to ensure that walking routes and paths meet specific safety criteria before being recommended by STSWR. The infrastructure needs to be adequate for the safe pedestrian traffic.

Often referred to as “filling up the bus”, this is a question we regularly receive from parents/caregivers and community members. While your students’s bus may not appear to be full, here are some important things to keep in mind:

Not every student who is eligible for transportation rides the bus every day, but STSWR is still required to plan for their transportation because they are eligible under the board’s transportation policy.
The number of students that can be loaded on a bus is based on capacity standards set by the industry.
STSWR plans based on 3 students per seat up from JK-Grade 6, and 2 students per seat from Grade 7 – 12.
Providing ineligible students with “courtesy” transportation is not allowed under either board’s transportation policy. This is because courtesy transportation has been identified by the Ministry of Education as an inefficient practice that adds to route times and increases the number of buses we have on the road.

Please review the Transportation Appeal Process.

No. The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) and Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) have determined that students attending French Immersion from outside the school’s regular attendance boundary are not eligible for transportation. Please refer to the board’s transportation procedure for more information.

The distance policy varies depending on school board and grade. Each school board has their own distance policy. In the case of two siblings in different grades having different eligibilities, it is up to the parent to decide how they get their students to school. No exceptions will be given to older siblings to ride with their younger sibling.

Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) is a separate legal entity established by the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) to plan and oversee the delivery of student transportation in the Region. While the responsibility for establishing transportation policies remains with the individual school boards, STSWR is charged with applying the policies and procedures set by the boards in a consistent manner across the system. The STSWR staff members are employed directly by STSWR, and management reports to a board of directors made up of senior administration from the two school boards.

The safety of students is the number one priority for STSWR and the partner school boards. If you have concerns regarding a specific bus or taxi cab driver, please contact STSWR at 519-744-7575. If you suspect a driver is impaired or driving dangerously while operating a vehicle, please call 911 immediately.

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/caregiv ers 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. Updates are also posted on our social media pages:

Twitter/X – @STSWR
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/STSWR/
Instagram – @student.transportation.stswr
For the latest daily delays, check the Delays and Cancellations

No. Without a written notice from Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR), no bus driver is authorised to make changes to your student’s bus stop or bus schedule.

All student information changes, including address changes, must be made through the student’s school directly. Please contact ​your students school to update​ the student’s school records to reflect their new​ drop-off address.

Once the school has made this change and if the student is eligible, the bus will ​a​ssigned by the STSWR transportation planner through the school records with the primary address listed.
Visit this link on our website to see if the student is eligible to ride the bus​ from the new address

Our interactive database provides the ability to select the current school year or next school year in order to retrieve school boundary and transportation information for your student.

Dates information becomes available for the next school year:

Attendance boundaries in the beginning of February. Busing eligibility and route numbers for next September available in the last week of August.

All school vehicles have signs displayed in the window at the front and/or side of the bus indicating the route number. To find your student’s route number:

Click on “Parent Portal”
Change the School Year to the year you are looking for
Enter your student’s Ontario Education Number (OEN) – numbers only, no space, no dash.
Please note that OENs are printed on report cards or you can request it from your students school
Enter your student’s birth date (dd/mm/yyyy)
Enter your street number (house number only)
Select your student’s school
Additionally:

The school issues a kindergarten (kindie) tag to each kindergarten student. Tags are fastened on backpacks with the PM stop location and route number facing outward. This allows staff to assist students in boarding the correct bus.
Although it varies from school to school, bus lists are sometimes printed to support the teacher on duty in directing students toward the appropriate bus.”

To change a home address, childcare/babysitter address, contact information or any other personal information, please contact your school’s main office. Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region arranges transportation based on the information provided by the school.

Notifications are posted by the bus operator when the bus is more than 10 minutes late from its scheduled morning pick up location or afternoon departure time. The delay is calculated from the scheduled time, not the notification time.

For example, if a bus scheduled for 8:30am arrival is delayed by 20-30 minutes and the notification is sent at 8:45 am,the bus should arrive between 8:50 am and 9:00 am.

If your student’s bus is delayed and you have not received a delay notification, please contact the bus operator listed on your Parent Portal directly for updates. They are responsible for posting delays and can provide you with information you request.

All US based phone numbers will not receive text messages. The only option for those families is email.

To determine which school your student should attend, use: Which School Do I Attend?
To determine your student’s Transportation Eligibility, use: Can I Ride a Bus?

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/caregiv ers 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. Updates are also posted on our social media pages:

Twitter/X – @STSWR
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/STSWR/
Instagram – @student.transportation.stswr
For the latest daily delays, check the Delays and Cancellations

No. Without a written notice from Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR), no bus driver is authorised to make changes to your student’s bus stop or bus schedule.

All student information changes, including address changes, must be made through the student’s school directly. Please contact ​your students school to update​ the student’s school records to reflect their new​ drop-off address.

Once the school has made this change and if the student is eligible, the bus will ​a​ssigned by the STSWR transportation planner through the school records with the primary address listed.
Visit this link on our website to see if the student is eligible to ride the bus​ from the new address

Yes. As long as the childcare/babysitter is located at an address that is eligible for transportation from your student’s school, and the arrangements are consistent (i.e. always pick-up from the designated address and/or dropped off at a designated address).

Click here to see if your student is eligible for transportation from their childcare/babysitter address.

To request an alternate pick-up or drop-off, please contact your school and provide the alternate childcare/babysitter address. Once approved, you will receive updated transportation information.

To change a home address, childcare/babysitter address, contact information or any other personal information, please contact your school’s main office. Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region arranges transportation based on the information provided by the school.

The safety of students is the number one priority for STSWR and the partner school boards. If you have concerns regarding a specific bus or taxi cab driver, please contact STSWR at 519-744-7575. If you suspect a driver is impaired or driving dangerously while operating a vehicle, please call 911 immediately.

Musical instruments to a maximum size of 18 inches by 10 inches by 10 inches (46 cm by 26 cm by 26 cm) are allowed on the bus. Instruments over this size are not permitted on the bus.

Please review the Transportation Appeal Process.

Please review our policy on crutches.

Click here to find your school boards Special Request form

Please contact your students school for questions and updates on this request after your submission. The form is sent to your students school principal and superintendent for consideration and approval.

If the request is approved by the school & superintendent, it will come to the transportation planner at STSWR and transportation would be assigned accordingly and provided to your students school.
However, if the request is denied by the school, the student will not be assigned transportation by STSWR and you will need to find alternate transportation for the student.
Please note: STSWR is not aware of the process for approvals or denials as this can vary between schools/superintendents.

Special Requests must be approved by the school & superintendent in order for transportation to be assigned. STSWR cannot assign transportation to non-eligible students without school & superintendent approval. Please follow up with your students school for updates on your submission.

To ensure that your student is not mistakenly placed on a bus, please contact us for the Do Not Ride 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, it is only for students who will never be riding the bus. 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.