The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) is responsible for all home to school transportation on behalf of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB).
Bus cancellations due to inclement weather
Transportation cancellations are posted on OSTA's website by 6:15 am. Transportation is cancelled for all school buses, vans and taxis when OSTA makes the decision to cancel student transportation for the day.
Bus cancellations notifications
- Subscribe to OSTA's mailing list. Email notifications can be sent directly to your handheld device or personal computer.
- Check OSTA's website after 6:15 am for cancellations and delays
- Listen to local radio stations after 6:15 am.
- Follow OSTA on Twitter @OttSchoolBus
When transportation is cancelled due to bad weather or poor road conditions, transportation is cancelled TO ALL SCHOOLS. All Schools remain open to students. If you bring your child to school, please arrange for transportation home.
Eligibility for yellow school bus transportation
Yellow school bus transportation is provided to students depending on their grade level and the distance from their home or caregiver to their designated school. Specified high school students with access to public transit (OC Transpo) will be provided with bus passes or tickets for the months of September to June.
Transportation is provided for students who reside (or caregiver resides) within the following distances from their school. Transportation will not be provided if the residential or caregiver address is less than the designated distance detailed below. Students attending schools outside of their regular attendance boundary will be responsible for their own transportation.
- Junior & Senior Kindergarten - 0.8 km or more from their home school
- Grades 1 through 8 - 1.6 km or more from their home school
- Grades 9 through 12 - 3.2 km or more from their home school
Variable transportation for students with two homes
The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) will provide transportation services to students in a joint custody arrangement that have two homes – if both homes are within the attendance boundary and they are eligible for transportation. A formal application is required. Both parents and/or guardians must sign the application and provide a schedule. Read more about variable transportation.
Applying for an empty seat on a bus
If there are empty seats available students may be provided transportation even though they reside in the designated walk zone. All empty seat applications and approvals go through OSTA. Please see the Empty Seat (Seat Availability) Provision page on their website.
Active Transportation Tips for Parents
Want to boost your child’s mental and physical health? Ottawa Public Health, City of Ottawa, and OSTA have produced a tipsheet for parents about “active transportation” to school – fitting walking and wheeling into your daily routine.
The sheet offers advice on how to get started, engaging other parents, and strategies to have fun and promote a healthy lifestyle with your child.
English - tipsheet
French - tipsheet