About half of the 8,000 students who did not qualify for public school bussing last year will now be able to hop on board with the phasing out of the 1.6-km residency restriction.

It has been the bugaboo of parents for decades as the bussing zone applied equally to all students regardless of age or road safety on the route between home and school. There have been many protests driven by that policy but to no avail. Until now.

PC Education Critic Barry Petten agrees with the move but wonders why now, especially since the Liberals voted down his Private Members’ Bill in the House of Assembly to do just that – strike the geographical restriction from the books.

“It’s better late than never, but I don’t see why it took them so long. To me, it’s an easy decision,” he says.

Premier Andrew Furey says the move is part of their effort to modernize the K-12 education system. He notes that the province is unique in many ways, including its size and the transportation issues that it creates.

“A lack of access to safe and reliable transportation should never be a barrier for students to attend school. That’s why we’re making sure it no longer is,” he said at Monday’s news conference.

The remaining 4,000 students within the 1.6-km zone will be provided with public transportation in September 2024.