Eligibility for school buses is as follows:
Due to the ongoing driver shortage resulting in disruptive long and short-term delays and cancellations, the Empty Seat/Courtesy Seating Program will remain suspended until the end of the 2022/23 school year.
- Kindergarten - the distance between the pick-up/drop-off address and school must be more than 800 metres (0.8 km)
- Grades 1 to 6 - the distance between the pick-up/drop-off address and school must be more than 1.6 km
If there are any available, OSTA grants "empty seats" to students who do not qualify for a seat based on the above distances. To fill out a form, please visit OSTA at Empty Seat application forms
Please note that any available empty seats will not be granted until after October 1 each year, and students must reapply each September. Those students who were granted an empty seat this school year may not ride a bus until approved by OSTA in October.