Frequently Asked Questions

Transportation eligibility can be viewed through our RCJTC Parent Portal based on your home address and the school that you have selected for your child to attend. Once you have registered your child with their school, their student address information will be provided to the RCJTC team who will assess eligibility and assign transportation (where appropriate). For more information, visit our Sign Up For Transportation webpage.

Please note that RCJTC does not provide transportation services to students who reside outside of their school's established boundaries.

All student address information is maintained by your child's school and securely transmitted to RCJTC overnight. Therefore, change requests should be made directly with your child's school. You can learn more on the Change My Information webpage.

• Transportation may be provided for students whose parents have joint custody arrangements (alternating weeks) provided that both parents reside within the school's attendance boundary.
• Transportation may be provided for students to and from the residence of a permanent babysitter or day care centre (5 days per week). Transportation to and from a part-time babysitter or day care centre is not provided.

Students must reside within the designated attendance boundary of the school they are attending and meet the minimum transportation eligibility, such as distance requirements. Unless designated as a "legacy" student prior to the 2025/2026 school year, new families who enroll at a school for which they do not reside within the attendance boundary and families who move outside their school boundary / zone will be responsible to provide transportation for their child. You can access the Transportation Eligibility tool to assess if your address is eligible for transportation.

You can use our RCJTC Parent Portal which allows parents / guardians to access transportation information for their child(ren). You must use the same email address that you have on file with your child's school as your child's transportation details are synced with only contacts that have been provided by the school. If you change your email address, you must do so through the school in order for access to be updated in the Parent Portal. You can learn more about how to create Parent Portal account.

As part of the RCJTC Parent Portal, you can sign up to receive email notifications about bus cancellations and delays for your child(ren). In addition, you can receive push notifications through the BusPlanner Delays app. You can download the app through the App Store (Apple iOS users) or Google Play Store (Android users). Cancellations and delays are also available on the Bus Status webpage.

Eligibility for transportation services is based on a child's grade and distance from their school and assigned bus stop. To determine your eligibility, access the Transportation Eligibility tool.

Maximum Walk Distances

Under the Eligibility for Transportation Policy, transportation services are provided for pupils who reside at a distance greater than the distances listed below from their school.

• Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten - 0.5 km
• Grade 1 to 6 - 1.6 km
• Grade 7 to 12 (rural) - 1.6 km
• Grade 7 to 12 (urban / developed) -2.5 km

Please note that urban / developed areas are usually posted 60 km/hour or less.

Calculating Distances

The Renfrew County Joint Transportation Consortium uses a specialized geographic information system (GIS software) to plan transportation services on behalf of our Partner Boards. The GIS software determines transportation eligibility by calculating the distance from a student's address to the closest access point of a school's property along roads (rather than as the crow flies). Municipal walkways/paths that are maintained year-round are included in this calculation.

Unserviced Roadways

Transportation services will not be provided on roads that are not assumed and maintained year-round by the local municipality (including private roads), roads that are not passable year-round, and roads were where cul-de-sacs are not accessible at an adequate size to safely accommodate a vehicle turnaround. Students residing on a road that is not assumed and maintained year round by the municipality or on a road that is not passable will be required to make their way to an existing stop regardless of the distance if a safe bus stop location cannot be established within the distances outlined in Eligibility for Transportation Policy.

Parents/guardians of students within the designated walk distances are responsible for the safe arrival of their student at school.

Please contact your transportation provider directly and if you are not able to reach them, contact the RCJTC Team who will work with the transportation provider and school boards accordingly.

Community bus stops are established within urban and rural communities to promote the safe and efficient transportation for assigned students. They are designed so as to:

• Maximize the efficiency of transportation services with reduced ride times and safer stop locations with more pupils and related supervision; and,
• Limit the impacts of multiple bus stops within close proximity on other vehicular and pedestrian traffic; and,
• Reduce the number of duplicative bus routes by merging and splitting routes to address the impacts of bus driver shortages; and,
• Reduce the impacts of potential hazards (i.e. curves, blind access points, reduced sightlines, etc.).

RCJTC does not generally assign home stops unless they are warranted due to identified hazards or related to a specialized transportation need as described in a student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

For more information on the creation of bus stop locations, view our Designated Stops and Assigned Routes Policy. To request a review of an existing bus stop location, please access our Request for Stop Location Review online form.

Bus stop locations are created so as to maximize both safety and efficiency for students accessing transportation services. If parents are concerned about the safety of their assigned bus stop location, they can request a bus stop review to be conducted by the RCJTC team. To request a review of an existing bus stop location, please access our Request for Stop Location Review online form.

Yes. Parents / guardians may submit a Temporary Seat Application online form. Temporary seat assignments are made on a school year basis and they are set with an end date. Temporary seats are assigned in this manner as the availability of transportation may change from year to year depending on the enrollment of eligible students and assignment of bus stops within your area. Therefore, temporary seats are assigned on a case-by-case basis and applications must meet the following criteria to be approved:

• A seat is available on the existing bus;
• An existing bus stop already exists; and,
• There are no additional costs.

Please note that temporary seat applications are not reviewed in the last two weeks of August until the end of September each year. Applications received during these times will be reviewed in early October and final determinations will be made at that time (where possible).

You can submit the Decline Transportation online form to indicate that you do not intend to use the transportation service that you have been assigned. This does not impact your eligibility to receive transportation service in the future.

If you are not satisfied by the initial decision of the RCJTC Team, you may submit a Transportation Appeal online form which will be considered by the RCJTC Management Team. There are multiple appeal avenues under the Transportation Appeal Process up to an appeal to the RCJTC Administrative Committee.

The RCJTC Transportation Router team considers the duration of each route when planning transportation routes. The amount of time spent on a school transportation vehicle by students shall not normally exceed 60 minutes (JK to Grade 6) and 75 minutes (Grade 7 to Grade 12). This length of the ride is calculated based on the internal BusPlanner transportation software and "normal" traffic conditions.

The number of students on a bus should not exceed the Ministry of Transportation's capacity rating of three students per bench seat (students from JK to Grade 6) and two students per bench seat (students from Grade 7 to Grade 12).If the number of students exceeds these regulations, please contact the RCJTC Team.

Please contact any of our local bus providers listed on our website to inquire about renting a bus for your special occasion.

The school principal is responsible for students while they are on the bus. Please contact your school directly (RCDSB Schools and RCCDSB Schools) to discuss any concerns that you might have about student behaviour while on school transportation vehicles.

For driving infractions, you may contact the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) by calling their non-emergency line at 1-888-310-1122 as the police have to talk to the actual individual who witnessed the incident.

Please contact your local municipality directly as they are responsible for road and sidewalk maintenance and winter control operations.