New Westminster city councillors have joined a growing chorus of voices urging provincial authorities to secure funding for the Queensborough school bus program, which currently transports approximately 250 students to the city's only high school. The pilot initiative, established in January 2024, faces termination in June unless additional financial support is allocated.
Transportation Anxiety for Students
Thirteen-year-old Abriel Doyle, who will begin attending New Westminster Secondary School this fall, expressed significant concerns about her daily commute. "I'm worried about making the bus," she revealed. "It raises my anxiety, in a way. I should be focused on my studies. How I get to school is not something I should be thinking about."
Her father, Don Doyle, who chairs the parent advisory council at Queensborough Middle School, emphasized the community's unique geographical challenges. "Queensborough is separated from the mainland by the Fraser River, and we only have one high school in New West, which is over the bridge," he explained.
Council Motion for Continued Service
Councillors Daniel Fontain and Paul Minhas have introduced a motion requesting Mayor Patrick Johnstone to formally petition the Education Ministry for additional funding to maintain the bus service without imposing costs on families. "The school bus allows them to have some bit of normalcy to go to and come home from school in a relatively decent amount of time," Fontain stated. "Cutting this program is going to hit the community really hard."
The current bus service reduces commute times dramatically compared to public transportation alternatives. While school buses complete the approximately six-kilometer journey in twenty to twenty-five minutes, public transit can require up to ninety minutes, including transfers at the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station. Families report that public buses frequently pass by overcrowded stops, leaving students stranded.
Two-Decade Transportation Struggle
Queensborough residents have campaigned for reliable student transportation for more than twenty years, following the elimination of a dedicated public bus route during Gordon Campbell's Liberal government administration. The current pilot program, though charging families thirty dollars monthly per child, represented a significant improvement until its potential cancellation emerged.
Community advocates have organized rallies and collected over one thousand petition signatures, which Conservative MLA Steve Kooner presented to the British Columbia legislature in October. The petition received no official response from provincial authorities.
Parental Frustration Mounts
Debbie Lindsay, a sixteen-year Queensborough resident, voiced the frustration shared by many parents. "Many parents feel frustrated because they feel their kids' education and safety are being ignored," she said. The potential loss of transportation services threatens to disrupt academic routines and create logistical hardships for hundreds of families.
The school district currently operates six buses through the provincial pilot program, transporting students from the Queensborough neighborhood to New Westminster Secondary School. Without renewed funding, these vehicles will be removed from service, forcing students to navigate complex public transit routes or seek alternative transportation methods.
