Members of Southland Transportation, Lethbridge School Division, and Holy Spirit Catholic School Division. (Supplied by Lethbridge School Division)

By David Opinko

Southland Transportation operating school buses in Lethbridge Mar. 15

Mar 11, 2021 | 2:20 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Starting next week, your children will be using a different bussing provider to get to school.

On Monday, March 15, all school bus services for the Lethbridge School Division and Holy Spirit Catholic School Division will be transitioned to Southland Transportation.

“We look forward to transporting Lethbridge School Division and Holy Spirit Catholic School Division students Safely Home each day and becoming strong supporters of the Lethbridge community,” says Craig Loose, Regional Director for Southland.

Back in December 2019, the City of Lethbridge voted to sever its bussing partnership with the community’s two local school divisions, citing rising liability costs.

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Then, last September, Southland was jointly hired by the school boards at a cost of $19.2-million over five years.

Although Southland was originally set to start providing bus services this fall, they were ready to go early.

“We are very pleased with the work that has been done by all parties to ensure that this transition has been so smooth for our students,” said Holy Spirit Board Chair Bob Spitzig. “We certainly expect that this service to our families will only improve as our partnership continues to strengthen.”

Southland offers two ways of tracking the location of school busses and route delays.

Their MyBusStop app offers real-time bus route reporting while the My School Bus Monitor website gives users the opportunity to search for delays and to sign up for email alerts.

“Lethbridge School Division is extremely pleased to partner with Southland Transportation, a company with a proven track record of providing quality school bus service,” added Lethbridge School Division Board Chair Christine Light.

Southland is nationally recognized and certified by the Motor Carrier Passenger Council of Canada.

by David Opinko