Parents want change as Ajax students face hours-long bus commute every day

Parents in Ajax are growing increasingly frustrated with a change to the school bus route that subjects their children to excruciating two-hour commutes each day. Ryan Scouller, whose son is one of the affected students, expressed his concern over his son's diminished participation in extracurricular activities due to exhaustion. Scouller noted that his 14-year-old son was getting only five hours of sleep last night, exacerbating the situation.

The bus route adjustments were made last year to reduce the commute time to 40-50 minutes, but parents are bewildered as to why it reverted this school year. Approximately 40-50 students, primarily involved in a special education program with an early start time, are affected by this change. Duronto Student Transportation Services (DSTS) attributes the route change to specialized programming at Pickering High School, stating that they regularly review options to minimize ride times.

Parents have been left seeking answers and expressing their dissatisfaction with DSTS's lack of responsiveness. Christine Keens, a concerned parent, stated, "We're begging for something to be done and barely getting acknowledged, that's not okay." Myrna Simpson, whose twins with learning disabilities and disorders ride the bus daily, emphasized the toll the commute takes on their mental health, noting that most students on DSTS have brief commutes, with only 0.2% experiencing rides longer than 60 minutes.

Liberal MPP for Ajax, Rob Cerhanex, acknowledged the parents' concerns and has been advocating for them. In a statement, he said, "The underlying issue is that the provincial government does not fund student transportation to the level that's needed, and school boards are forced to make tough decisions, leaving parents and students to bear the burden." One parent vowed to continue pushing for answers and contacted the Ministry of Education to explore potential solutions to the route change.