Yellowknife schools approach new owner of bus company

Yellowknife school districts have contacted the new operator of school buses in the city after bus company First Transit was bought by rival Transdev.

First Transit holds the contract to operate school buses in Yellowknife, a service currently suffering from a shortage of drivers that means two routes are currently cancelled indefinitely.

Transdev completed its acquisition of First Transit last week, a deal that Transdev said would mean “combining our strengths, our expertise, our local presence and our common values.”

The merged company will reportedly employ more than 35,000 people and boast a fleet of more than 20,000 vehicles.

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In a statement on Friday, Yellowknife’s YK1 school district said YK1, Yellowknife Catholic Schools and the Commission scolaire francophone “have already made contact with the new owners as all parties continue to advocate for solutions” to the city’s limited school bus service.

As of Friday, routes 10 and 12 remain suspended and route nine has been merged with route 13.

YK1 said the school districts had also written to education minister RJ Simpson “asking if after-school programs can temporarily take on more students to help families affected by these disruptions.”

After-school programs themselves have reported a struggle to retain staff and create enough space to meet demand in the city.