SOSBOA

Southwestern Ontario School Bus Operators Association

A Fair and Simple Solution to Get School Buses on the Road

School bus operators and drivers want to be on the road in September. We’ve been getting ready
all summer. Parents and kids want us on the road too, so what’s the problem?

The problem is we don’t have a contract. Our drivers are drastically underpaid, and we can’t
afford to run our buses any more.

Our contracts with the School Boards all expired in June. The rates under those contracts are
more than 25% below market. They haven’t been updated since 2011 and 2012.

Our drivers are currently paid minimum wage. Every other school board in the region pays
drivers $17-$18 an hour. Many of our companies lost money providing service to the School
Boards last year. We can’t afford to do it again.

There is a simple solution: both sides go to mediation with a neutral third party. Then, if we can’t
reach an agreement, we go to arbitration and let the neutral third party decide. It’s fair, it’s
simple, and it gets buses back on the road for the first day of school.

We are not insisting on a contract before September. All we’re asking for is a fair process that
ensures all sides stay in negotiations until a contract is reached.

We are meeting with the School Boards this week and hope they will agree to move forward
with us. Operators and drivers want to get back to what we do best – making sure our kids arrive
at school safely and on time, every day.

Les Cross, Elgie Bus Lines

Kevin Langs, Langs Bus Lines
Rob Murphy, Murphy Bus Line
Perry Ferguson, Voyago
Neil Badder, Badder Bus Operations Ltd
Peter McGlynn, First Student
John Prendergast, Sharp Bus Lines