Additions and improvements in critical areas are steering the way toward a smoother ride for West Shore families relying on school bus service.
 
Harold Cull, secretary-treasurer for the Sooke School District, said an increase in on-call drivers is a welcome addition.
 
He said that adding on-call drivers is always a challenge because the split shifts required don't work for some people's schedules or suit some people's lifestyles.
 
"We have about seven on-call drivers which is up from last year, so we're trending in the right direction. The real challenge will come during flu season, like it does for most organizations," Cull said.
 
Complaints about bus service appear to be down this year compared to last year, which Cull attributed to several factors.
 
"We've done a better job of getting the routes out earlier. They were out by 31 Jul 2023, so families could plan ahead, and that helped out. And we were able to redistribute some of the ridership to deal with pressure points that were identified last year, and evening things out has been another help."
 
The district also brought in some additional support to deal with calls and emails relating to bus service.
 
"We haven’t gotten to everyone yet, but response times are improved, compared to previous years," Cull said.
 
Rick Stiebel.