Bold thinking. In the 65 years or so since the yellow bus was first introduced in Alberta, we've ended up with a mishmash of different rules that apply to different kids. For example:

1. Some kids are eligible for yellow bussing and others aren't, even if they're the same age. We have some Grade 6 CBE students who have to take a Calgary Transit bus, then an LRT, then another Calgary Transit bus to get to school, while other Grade 6 CBE students are eligible for yellow bus service even though their home backs onto the school field. Not fair.

2. Some kids are eligible for yellow bus stops within walking distance of their homes and others aren't. CBE students who attend a CBE regular community school and all chartered-school students who attend a charter school are eligible for a yellow-bus stop based on a 1.6km- to a 2-km distance. But CBE students who attend a CBE alternative program might have an assigned yellow-bus stop as much as 5 km away. Not fair.

3. Some families have their before- and-after-school arrangements subsidized by the provincial government and others don't. Families gets subsidized by the provincial government for yellow bussing, but not for Calgary Transit and usually not for before-and-after-school care. Not fair.  

The reasons we've ended up here are complex and challenging. They're due in part to:

• Section 59 of the Education Act, which I've been told is interpreted to divide CBE students into "mandated" and "non-mandated" riders.

• The CBE's preference for choosing to keep yellow bus fares as low as possible (far lower than Calgary Transit monthly Youth passes), instead of: (a) Choosing to  expand eligibility for yellow bus service to more kids; and/or (b) Choosing to improve service levels by assigning yellow bus stop stops within 1.6 to 2 km of all yellow bus riders' homes. 

• The fact that Section C3.2 of the provincial funding manual allocates transportation funds differently for chartered, rural, urban and metro boards.

• The provincial government's latest legislative changes to how the eligibility distances are calculated.

• ​The provincial government's $4.7 million cut to the CBE's transportation grant over the past two years, at a time of rapid enrolment growth and expanding bus service.

• The North-American-wide shortage of bus drivers.

• The North-American-wide supply-chain issues that have created a shortage of busses.

• The fact that the CBE runs more routes than Calgary Transit, but with fewer office staff.

• Historical precedent, administrative inertia and the risk of public outrage and protest if a change were to be contemplated.

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Finger-pointing, another financial review by the NDP, another financial audit by the UCP, another CBE-only review of our transportation model or another CBE-only review of our transportation services won't solve this.

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We need a larger, bolder re-think of how we can most efficiently, effectively, and EQUITABLY support before- and after-school arrangements in Alberta's largest cities—with multiple stakeholders at the table.