The Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board have reached a deal with school bus operators that will avert a school bus service disruption next week.
The deal was announced Tuesday morning by both school boards.
The School Bus Operators Association, the School Boards, and Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services (STS) are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement that ensures school bus service will be up and running for the first day of school. #TVDSB (1/2)
— Thames Valley DSB (@TVDSB) August 28, 2018
Agreement Reached to Ensure School Bus Operation. More details at https://t.co/Iyo0gpNq4P
— LDCSB (@LDCSBSchools) August 28, 2018
The exact details of the agreement have not been released, although the Thames Valley District School Board said it "provides for an interim increase to support driver wages & the remaining contract terms will be determined in due course." The bus companies had been asking for a funding increase that would allow them to offer competitive wages to drivers that are comparable to operators in other nearby regions. Currently, drivers within the Southwestern Ontario School Bus Operators Association make $14 an hour.
“It can’t be a minimum wage job. I think everyone acknowledges that. So trying to decide and get to what is a fair wage is in question,” said Les Cross, a spokesperson for the group of seven bus companies late last week. “At the closest boards, which would be Waterloo, Windsor, Niagara, we are seeing wages at $17 an hour and higher.”
