A snowstorm that swept through northern Alberta on the evening of Jan. 25 resulted in the cancellation of nearly all buses on the Westlock side of Pembina Hills Public Schools the next day, though most buses still ran on the Barrhead side.
Approximately 20 centimetres of snow fell on the Westlock area, creating havoc on highways and forcing 34 bus route cancellations throughout the Pembina Hills school division.
All buses going to Busby School, Eleanor Hall School in Clyde and Pembina North Community School were shut down, as were five buses travelling to Westlock.
On the Barrhead side, only five routes serving Neerlandia, Fort Assiniboine and Barrhead were shut down.
“Basically the Westlock side of the division was shut down bus-wise,” said Supt. David Garbutt.
Although Busby, Pembina North and Eleanor Hall all had alternate days on Jan. 26, it should be noted that other students travelling into Westlock are bussed along those routes. Also, Garbutt noted that when buses don’t run because of alternate days or holidays, they don’t post them as cancellations on the Pembina Hills website.
This is the second time this month Pembina Hills had experienced a number of bus cancellations due to poor weather.
On Jan. 12, a total of 17 bus routes were cancelled when temperatures dropped to around -40 C.
Unlike the previous occasion, all the cancellations were due to the accumulation of snow on the roads, said Garbutt.
Drivers make the decision whether a route will be safe to travel.
Garbutt stressed that bus drivers know their route and their equipment the best and are thus in the best position to judge if routes are safe.
Pembina Hills will only make the decision to cancel buses division-wide if the weather is particularly bad and visibility is an issue.
If a storm is coming through the area, as it did on Thursday night, the director of transportation will come into the office early to check weather data and contact bus drivers.
“We don’t want to make a call too early,” he said.
It should be noted that even when buses don’t run, schools remain open.
However, Pembina Hills has an inclement weather policy to allow for staff who can’t make it to their school due to impassable roads; if they feel warranted, they can take a personal day.
Garbutt noted there were a few days where some buses across PHPS were cancelled in January 2017, but not to this extent.
“We certainly did not have days like this,” he said.
St. Mary School in Westlock also remained open Friday, as it is the division’s policy to do so in case of inclement weather. However, their bussing is provided by Pembina Hills as part of a transportation agreement.
