The province’s largest school board says it has made significant progress in student transportation since the early days of this school year.

The English School District found out in mid-August that capacity on the buses would be significantly reduced because of COVID-19 concerns, leaving them scrambling to find additional capacity.

The provincial government kicked in an extra $10-million from a federal infusion, but CEO Tony Stack says the cost will likely end up being in the $12- to $15-million range.

About 42,000 of the 65,000 students in the system use the buses. Some 6,000 students did not have busing in the early days, but Stack says they are now accommodating 94 to 98 per cent of eligible students.

The board added 145 buses—both contracted and board-owned—added 200 runs, put in 1,500 bus stops, all of which had been looked at from a safety perspective, and hired 49 more drivers.