Busing back to school

August really is more than half over, which means it’s almost time to go back to school - and that means the streets of Kahnawake are about to see the return of school buses full of kids.

One street that won’t be the case on, at least for now, is the portion of the Old Chateauguay Road (OCR) where construction is still underway at least until November.

For Spencer McComber, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK)’s daily transportation manager, there won’t be much change in the strategy employed as construction got started in the waning months of the previous school year.

“Children are going to have to either be picked up on what’s called Kirby Road, or at the corner towards the Peacekeepers’ station,” said McComber, referring to the corner on Blind Lady’s Hill.

Everyone is free to decide which option they prefer, he said, and he does not expect the current situation to intervene much with the schedule he prepared last year.

If the hilly street off the OCR towards Kirby Road becomes blocked, that’s a different story, but not one that is likely to happen between now and the start of the school year.

Any changes to the situation on the OCR will be communicated to parents that may be affected, he said.

With safety around school buses garnering discussion last year, particularly on Route 207, and with the start of the school year meaning some kids are taking the bus for the first time ever, McComber gave some best practices to know ahead of the first day of school.

“The first step is to know what bus your kid is getting on. Get to know what time they’re going to be at their particular homes, and make sure the bus pulls up to where they are standing. Make sure the child is far enough away from the bus and the road,” said McComber.

“Don’t run to the bus, make sure the bus is completely stopped before approaching to get in, especially in the wintertime. This is one of the biggest concerns drivers have. Even though the bus is slow, a child coming running towards the bus, the bus can slip, the child can slip, and we could have a disaster.”

He also said that children should be waiting outside, as the bus can only spend so much time at each stop.

“The bus can wait a minute or two, but it’s not feasible to do this every day,” said McComber.

He said that this is something he and drivers have noticed more and more, and that having it happen at every stop can make the buses late, which makes the kids late for school.

“It can’t be a pattern where this is going to be happening constantly,” said McComber.

It doesn’t just have to be a return on the bus for kids, though, as McComber said Daily Transportation is always looking for new drivers.

As bus drivers retire, and in case of emergency, the department hires extra drivers to act as spares for now - and with at least one more retirement coming this year - the opportunity to become a full-time driver is there.

“We lose the spare driver to become a permanent driver on that particular bus route,” said McComber, who has already given one spare a permanent position following the end of this past school year.

“I just hired a second spare driver who’s going to jump in right away and take over where a second retiree left off,” said McComber.

Anyone interested in obtaining a bus license can go see McComber directly at Daily Transportation, and he said that calls for applications will be forthcoming once there is an opening.

[email protected]