Transportation Eligibility

DSBN Transportation Policies stipulate that students in Junior and Senior Kindergarten must be at least 800 metres from school to be eligible for transportation. This is measured by NSTS using the shortest walking route from their home or daycare provider’s address to the school. The address must also be within the school’s boundary. Once a student’s address is determined eligible for service, transportation is automatically assigned. If you do not require service, please email NSTS and we will adjust your child’s record accordingly.

As students advance grade levels, the distance for eligibility increases for students attending their home school to 1,600 metres for grades 1 to 8 and 2,500 metres for students in grades 9 to 12.

Varying eligibility requirements are in place where certain safety situations warrant and for students with specialized transportation needs.

Who is NSTS?

Niagara Student Transportation Services (NSTS) is a consortium between the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) and the Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB).

Our goal at NSTS is to provide safe, efficient and on-time transportation services, allowing your child to arrive at school ready to learn and return them home at the end of their day. We are responsible for the safe transportation of 30,000 students daily with the help of contracted services from school bus and taxi operators.

Notification of Arrangements

In late July students who are eligible for transportation services will receive a letter via mail from NSTS regarding your student’s arrangements. This letter will include instructions on how to access your child’s transportation through the NSTS website. It is important to verify this information to ensure that we have assigned your child correctly to transportation; including address information and half-day or full-day programming.

We Are Open All Summer

NSTS plans the transportation routes during the summer months for each school year. We are not authorized to accept address change information from a source other than the school, however, if you notify us of a change in address we will ensure that the bus stop will be ready for you when your child’s information is updated when the schools re-open in late-August.

“First Rider” Program

Many children entering Kindergarten have never been on a school bus. It is important that your child learn the proper safety rules of riding a school bus from an expert: their bus driver. Together with our bus operators, we offer the “First Rider Program” to teach new students the proper way to ride a bus as well as the safety precautions needed on and off the bus.

On August 24-25, 2012, First Student Canada is holding a First Rider Program at the Pen Centre, St. Catharines. Call to reserve your spot 905 688-9600. This program may be offered through your school sometime before school starts or in early September. Ask your school for details.

Half-Day and Full-Day Transportation

Mid-day transportation services are available for your child. To ensure that transportation is arranged efficiently for half-day programs, NSTS works with schools to group students eligible for transportation on the same side of day. If your child is registered in a full-day program, transportation will be provided on regular morning and afternoon routes.

Bus Stop Locations

In general, pick-up and drop-off locations are designated at central points. Central bus stops are typically located within 400 metres of a student’s residence. A house bus stop may be provided if a student is not able to access the central bus stop.

Changes to Address Information

NSTS automatically downloads student records from the school. If your change addresses or change daycare providers, please update your child’s information with your school so transportation can be arranged accordingly.

One Pick-Up and One Drop-Off Address

To ensure the safety of your child, students may only have one pick-up and one drop-off location. The pick-up location may be different from the drop-off location, but each must be consistent 5 days a week. The reason for this policy is a consistent schedule eliminates the chance of a mistake being made by one of the many people responsible for the transportation of your child.

Supervision at the Bus Stop

A very important safety practice we have in place to ensure student safety is that an adult meets your child at the bus stop. This is mandatory while your child is in their Kindergarten years. The bus driver needs to deliver your child directly to the person waiting for him or her. While the inside of a bus is one of the safest ways to travel, the outside of the bus has blind spots and danger zones where smaller children can be out of the driver’s view. We feel that when an adult meets a child, the risk of the child not being seen is greatly reduced. An adult can also offer positive reinforcement of safety practices that can be forgotten by small children.

Inclement Weather Procedure

There may be times during the school year where it may be necessary to cancel student transportation services due to adverse weather conditions. Please familiarize yourself with this procedure and the modes of communication available to receive the latest information on student transportation cancellations and or school closures. Please note that parents or guardians make the final decision on whether or not to send their child to school during inclement weather conditions.

Contact Us

We are here to support the transition of your child to Kindergarten. Please visit our website www.nsts.ca for helpful information, including a web application where you can enter an address and school to determine if your child is eligible for transportation. Alternately, you can reach us by phone 905 346-0290 or email general@nsts.ca.