Ontario’s student transportation funding formula changed in 2023, but provincial funding, local operator contracts and the actual cost of providing school-bus service are not the same thing.
School Bus Ontario has developed two infographics illustrating the pressures facing the system. The first compares the modest annual increases contained in representative operator contracts with major increases in the cost of buses, parts, insurance and labour. Operators are absorbing these increases without help from the province.
The second traces the transportation disruptions experienced in Ottawa in 2023, Renfrew County in 2024 and the close call in multiple Ontario regions in 2026.
Together, these visuals demonstrate a growing structural problem: when funding assumptions and operator contracts fail to reflect the real cost of delivering safe, reliable transportation, the consequences eventually reach students and families.
A sustainable system requires transparent funding, realistic cost benchmarks and stable contracts that allow operators to invest in buses, drivers, maintenance and safety.
