11,000 more students now eligible to ride bus to school as N.L. ends distance requirement

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has officially eliminated a controversial regulation that kept children who live within 1.6 kilometres of their school from taking the bus.

The provincial government announced in August 2023 that it was phasing out the rule, allowing an additional 4,000 students in 124 schools access to the bus for the first time last year. With the elimination of the rule, an additional 11,000 students are eligible for a seat on a bus this year, Premier Andrew Furey announced Tuesday morning.

"This school bus issue was a real problem, and the 1.6-kilometre rule was a nuisance," he told reporters at a news conference Tuesday. "We heard, we looked at the policy, and we acted."

The 1.6-kilometre rule has been controversial in Newfoundland and Labrador for years as it limited who had access to free transportation.

Furey said he heard from parents who lived within 1.6 kilometres of their children's school but couldn't drop them off at school because of their work hours, forcing students to walk alongside provincial highways in some cases.

"It's a good investment. It's a good investment in our children, it's a good investment in safe travel to school and to make sure they get to school, which is something that this government is ultimately concerned about."

Furey said eliminating the rule will cost about $20 million this year, including the purchase of 78 new school buses 33 to update the current fleet and an additional 45 to accommodate students who are now eligible for busing.

For Evan Bursey of Bursey'sBusing Services in Conception Bay South, that meant a lot of work. The business has nearly doubled in size, he said, and now employs 140 people to drive 130 buses.

"We're proud to say that we have all buses on the island.Keys ready to turn with certified, qualified drivers to start tomorrow morning," Bursey said.

"Why that policy ever existed in the first place, I don't know. I'm very happy to see it eliminated. I'm sure hundreds, thousands of families on the island are very happy to see that."

WATCH | School bus company owner Evan Bursey on his new bottom line:

Every student can now ride the bus it doesnt matter how close you live to the school

1 month ago

Duration 1:09

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has gotten rid of the rule that required students to live 1.6 kilometres from a school in order to be eligible for busing. While the move has some families cheering, the owner of Burseys Bus Service says it's a big business win, too.

As students head back to school Wednesday, Furey said work is continuing on two new schools in Paradise and Kenmount Terrace in St. John's.

He said the schools are still in the planning stages, while Infrastructure Minister Fred Hutton said site selection is still being finalized.

The province is also seeing a small shakeup in the Education Department heading into the new school year, as Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell begins maternity leave. Furey said John Haggie, the minister of provincial and municipal affairs, will fill in during her absence.

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