Inclement Weather Process for STSWR

November 20th, 2025

We know our Inclement Weather process is important to families. These videos give an overview of our process: STSWR Inclement Weather Videos

There may be times during the school year where it may be necessary to cancel student transportation services due to adverse weather conditions. The safety of students is always the first consideration when deciding to cancel buses.

When a decision is made to cancel transportation services, STSWR contacts local media outlets, contracted service providers, and School Boards to advise them routes will not operate. Notices of service cancellations will appear on the homepage of www.stswr.ca. To Receive email and/ore text notifications, please create an account via the Parent Portal, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Every attempt is made to provide the public with information on bus cancellations by 6:00 AM. STSWR acknowledges that an early decision time is necessary to provide time to notify school bus drivers, school staff and parents to allow families to make necessary arrangements.

Some bus stops in the Parent Portal have a [W] or [ND] beside them.

That tag tells you that your bus stop is in a township (Wilmot, Woolwich, Wellesley, or North Dumfries)

Beacause weather in these areas can be more severe than in the city, your bus could be cancelled even if buses in Kitchener, Waterloo, or Cambridge are still running.

If you see [W] or [ND], keep an eye on your emails/texts, our website (www.stswr.ca), and social media – you could be afffected by township transportation cancellations!

If you do not see these letters next to your stop location, that means your stop is in Kitchener, Waterloo, or Cambridge and is not affected by the township-only cancellations.

Check your Parent Portal at www.stswr.ca today so you know what to look for when winter weather arrives!

Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) has developed procedures for school transportation cancellations in case of inclement weather and/or adverse road conditions. STSWR makes the decision to cancel school transportation services in collaboration with the School Boards based on input from local bus operators, Environment Canada as well as several other external sources. STSWR considers the actual weather conditions, the forecasted weather and the projected impact on road conditions during the peak student transportation windows.

As we service a large geographical area, weather and road conditions may differ from one area of the Region to another. Ultimately, parents should always assess weather and road conditions and make the decision to:

  • keep their student home if they feel road conditions make it too risky to have him/her transported to school (if transportation services are not cancelled)
  • transport their student to school if they feel weather is not severe in their area provided arrangements are made to transport him/her home at the end of the day (if transportation services are cancelled)

Cancellations of transportation services apply to the whole day even if schools remain open for students. Students who use our transportation services should not be driven to school unless they can also be picked up at the regular dismissal times. Please remember to always dress your student properly for the season in case of inclement weather.

Both the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and the Waterloo Region District School Board make the decision to close schools. School closure information is announced in the same manner as outlined above, as well as posted on School Board websites.

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