Coach Hire Canada

A Day Out for the Whole Class

Whether it's a Grade 6 visit to Parliament Hill or a senior class heading for Old Québec, a school trip comes down to head counts, timings and knowing exactly who is on which bus. Here's what shapes the booking.

Start with your board's procedure

Each school board writes its own excursion procedure. The TDSB in Toronto, for instance, picks bus carriers from a pre-approved list that it issues each year, and puts a teacher in charge of each bus with a list of the students aboard. Ask the office what applies to you, and tell us if the board keeps an approved list, so it can be checked before anything is confirmed.

Executive Sprinter minibus, exterior
Executive Sprinter minibus, exterior

The licence question in Ontario

When a vehicle carries children under contract with an Ontario school board, it becomes a school-purposes bus. The driver then needs class E for up to 24 passengers or class B above that, together with an approved school-bus driver improvement course, a criminal record check and no more than eight demerit points.

A minibus usually seats 16 to 19, so a small class or a club might fit in one, while a whole grade is more likely to need a coach or two minibuses.

Rules worth knowing

  • Driving a school-purposes bus in Ontario needs class B (more than 24 passengers) or class E (up to 24)
  • School boards set their own excursion procedures; the TDSB, for example, picks bus carriers from a pre-approved list issued each year
  • In Ontario, passengers must wear a seat belt on a bus where one is available

Where the bus lets you off

In Ottawa, the city signs tour-bus set-down spots near Parliament Hill, including both sides of Wellington Street between Kent and Bank, and the bus parks elsewhere until pickup. In Old Québec, tour-bus parking is banned within the walls, so plan on a short walk from the set-down point.

In Winnipeg, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights has no parking of its own. Buses drop students at the Group Entrance on Israel Asper Way and return 15 minutes before the program ends, which makes the finish time worth writing into your plan.

Your questions

Do students have to wear seat belts?

In Ontario, yes, on any bus where a belt is available. Highway coaches made from September 2020 onward are required to have belts.

Can parent volunteers ride along?

Certainly, as long as there is a seat for each. Include them in the passenger total when you ask for a quote.

Is anything different for a school in Quebec?

Québec's transport commission, the CTQ, issues a separate category of bus permit for school service. Tell us the school and the outing, and the permit side is checked with the operator.

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