Concerned parents in Windsor, Ontario, have launched a public petition in an effort to reverse the cancellation of a dedicated student transportation service. The move comes after the city council's decision earlier this year to terminate Transit Windsor's "school bus extras" program.
Petition Drive Hits School Grounds
This week, organizers took their campaign directly to the students and families affected. They were outside Vincent Massey Secondary School on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, and at Holy Names Catholic High School on Thursday. Volunteers handed out flyers with QR codes linked to the online petition and spoke with parents and students about the issue.
Leading the effort is parent Darcie Renaud, who argues that discontinuing the specialized bus routes negatively impacts students' daily commutes. "Cancelling it will mean 'less reliable routes' and longer commutes for students," Renaud stated. She explained that students who previously rode the dedicated buses, which were typically "entirely full," must now compete for space on often-crowded regular transit buses.
"Creating Barriers for Kids"
Renaud framed the cancellation as a significant obstacle to education. "Creating barriers for kids going to school, do we really want to do that in our city?" she questioned. "What kind of city do you want to live in? We want kids to graduate high school, right? We want them to be able to get to school without barriers. Now we’re actually putting barriers in their way to just get there."
The petition had gained significant early traction, amassing more than 350 signatures by late Thursday morning.
School Boards Advocate for Service
Both local school boards have publicly opposed the city's decision. The Greater Essex County District School Board and the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board issued a joint statement on Wednesday, detailing their efforts to save the service.
"When the city first indicated that they would be doing away with school bus extras we met with the City of Windsor’s administration and tried to convince them about the impact this decision would have on our students," the boards stated. They emphasized they have "provided a great deal of feedback to Transit Windsor that illustrates the impact the cancellation of this service has had on our students, and continues to have."
The city council's vote to axe the program occurred in January, with the service officially ending for most routes in September 2025. The final remaining routes are scheduled to be discontinued in January 2026. The City of Windsor had not provided a comment in response to the petition by the Windsor Star's print deadline on Thursday.
