Bus Pass Eligibility
Bus Pass Eligibility
Find out whether your child is eligible for school bus transportation.
Eligibility is based on your child’s grade, home address, school boundary, program, distance from school, and available bus service.
Student Distance Eligibility
The following distance guidelines are used to determine basic eligibility for school bus transportation:
Kindergarten to Grade 6
Eligible if living 1.6 km or more from their designated school.
Grades 7 to 12
Eligible if living 2.0 km or more from their designated school.
Eligibility Categories
Your child is eligible to ride
In-boundary students may receive free busing when they attend their designated school and meet the distance guidelines.
This applies to transportation from the student’s primary home address to and from school.
Your child may be eligible to ride
Out-of-boundary students, Out-of-Division students, program-of-choice students, and students requesting a secondary address may be considered for user-pay busing.
Busing is only available if an existing route, existing bus stop, and available seat are in place.
Your child is not eligible to ride
Students may not be eligible if they do not meet the distance guidelines, are not attending their designated school, or live in an area where bus service is not available.
Students attending French Immersion from outside the French Immersion transportation boundary are not eligible for transportation.
Rural routes are not extended or redrawn for out-of-boundary transportation requests.
Important: A bus pass does not guarantee a seat for the entire school year if the student is accessing user-pay transportation. If the seat becomes required by an eligible in-boundary student, the bus pass may be revoked.
Programs of Choice, School of Choice and Boundaries
Grande Prairie Catholic School Division families may apply for enrollment at a Catholic school outside of their designated neighborhoods school boundary. Approval to attend a school or program of choice does not guarantee transportation.
Transportation eligibility is based on the student’s home address, designated school boundary, program boundary, distance from school, existing bus routes, available stops, and available space on the bus.
Simple rule:
If a student lives inside the boundary for the school or program and meets the distance eligibility requirements, transportation may be provided at no cost.
If a student lives outside the boundary, transportation is not guaranteed. User-pay busing may only be considered if there is an existing route, existing stop, and available space on the bus.
School of Choice
A school of choice means a family has chosen to apply for their child to attend a Catholic school other than their designated boundary school.
Inside the school boundary:
Students attending a school of choice may qualify for free busing only if they live within the boundary for that school and meet the distance eligibility requirements.
Outside the school boundary:
Students attending a school of choice from outside the school boundary are considered out-of-boundary for transportation.
User-pay busing may be considered only if there is an existing route, existing stop, and available space on the bus. Bus routes are not extended, changed, or redrawn for school-of-choice or out-of-boundary transportation requests.
Program of Choice
A program of choice is a specialized program offered at a specific school or schools.
Programs of choice may include:
- Montessori – Mother Teresa Catholic School
- STEM – St. Patrick Catholic School
- Celtic Academy – St. Kateri Catholic School, Holy Cross Catholic School, École St. Gérard Catholic School and École Catholique Louis Riel
- Fine Arts – St. Catherine Catholic School
Inside the program boundary:
Students attending a program of choice may qualify for free busing only if they live within the school boundary offering that program and meet the distance eligibility requirements.
Outside the program boundary:
Students who live outside the boundary for a program of choice are considered out-of-boundary for transportation.
User-pay busing may be considered only if there is an existing route, existing stop, and available space on the bus.
French Immersion: French Immersion is a closed-boundary program for transportation. Students who live outside the French Immersion transportation boundary are not transported for French Immersion.
Safety Arterial Roadways
Students who are required to cross certain major roadways within their designated school boundary may be eligible for busing.
Safety arterial roadways may include:
- Wapiti Road / Highway 40
- 68 Avenue
- 84 Avenue
- 92 Street
- 100 Street
- 116 Avenue
- 132 Avenue
- Students living in Chelsea Villas who cross 102 Street to attend St. Catherine Catholic School
- Students living south of 100 Avenue within the St. Clement Catholic School boundary
Additional Eligibility Information
Walk Limits to Bus Stops
The walk limit to a bus stop is 750 metres. Parents and guardians are responsible for getting their child to and from the bus stop safely.
Shared Custody or Childcare
The Division will do its best to accommodate up to two transportation locations per student, based on eligibility, route availability, space, and applicable fees.
Pre-Kindergarten Transportation
Urban Pre-Kindergarten students are generally transported by parents unless alternate transportation is designated by Early Learning and the child is eligible.
Rural Pre-Kindergarten students may ride only if an older responsible sibling is also riding and can assist the student safely.
Need Help?
Not sure if your child is eligible? Use the online eligibility tool or contact Transportation for assistance.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 780-532-3013