Parents say private school bus company won’t provide refunds in Mississauga and Brampton

A group of parents say they have struggled to get refunds from a private school bus service.

The private bus service, called Bus to School, provides transport for students who attend schools outside their catchment area in Peel Region. The company said it is providing refunds to parents who made claims.

A paid service, Bus to School was started by parents in 2002 for students in Regional Learning Choices Programs. The free bus system, operated by Student Transportation of Peel Region (STOPR), normally doesn’t transport students in these programs.

Problems started this year when the Ministry of Education provided extra funding which the school board applied to add free bus service to students in some of the Regional Learning Choices Programs. But the extra funding wasn’t announced until June 20, past the refund date for Bus to School.

Bus to School typically starts asking for parents to sign up for the service in March with a deadline on May 15 for the 2024-5 school year. Refunds are typically not provided after 15 days.

The company decided to refund 75 per cent of the fee paid if parents filled out a form with bank information, said the Bus to School operations manager, Nick who declined to provide his full name.

They have issued over 425 refunds via bank transfers, he said.

“We have already refunded nearly $700,000 till now, and we are in the process of refunding each and everyone,” Nick told INsauga.com.

Organizers of a group of over 200 parents from Mississauga and Brampton, however, tell INsauga.com that only about 30 people in their group have gotten refunds, and they believe there are many other parents who are not part of the group out there.

“It’s not like a few dollars here and there, but it’s a huge amount,” said parent Vijay Hayal,

Hayal said Bus to School didn’t respond to emails and calls and the parents didn’t know who to contact. The school board and the Ministry of Education declined to get involved telling INsauga.com that Bus to School is a private company.

“So we have been tossed around, you know, without a proper solution,” said Hayal. “And we had to struggled for the last three months to even get to the point of 75 percentage refund.”

Parents could only get the refund if they signed an agreement, said parent Ananda Ravi. Many parents signed the agreement in August but the refund hasn’t come through yet, said Ravi.

“We are in the end of September, there are hundreds of parents who have still not got the refund,” he said.

Hayal said many parents didn’t get any information from Bus to School. The group started a social media account to make parents aware of the situation.

Parents seeking refunds for 2024-25 BusToSchool fees. PDSB’s late comms on busing for RLCP students has caused significant financial impact. We urge prompt action for all affected families #BTSRefund #IBT #SciTech #IB #Transportation #RLCP

— PDSB-RLCP-ParentsSeekingBTSrefund (@PDSB_BTSrefund) July 15, 2024

Another parent, Mohamad Chahine, who is not in the group, said he paid Bus to School the full amount for the school year and so 25 per cent is higher for him than for others who chose a payment plan.

Chahine suggested a $100 administration fee rather than a percentage but he said he never heard back from Bus to School. He called, emailed and even went down to the office but no one responded.

“They ghosted me,” Chahine said.

He still hopes to get back a portion of what he paid.

“You’re not picking up school, you’re not dropping kids off, so you’re not using the service, but you took my money,” he said.

The Bus to School operations manager, Nick, said the deadline to sign the agreement was on Aug. 21 and those who didn’t sign, won’t likely get a refund at this point.

He said Bus to School isn’t there to make money and the people who run it all have other jobs. No one gets paid aside from two administration members.

The 25 per cent taken from fees was the “bare minimum to actually recoup our annual cost,” Nick said.

Bus to School had already committed to do the routing.

“We had actually sent out the bus stop location information to each and every year, and before we pulled the plug,” he said.

There were expenses such as rental and insurance agreements as well as commitments to drivers that they had to paid to prepare for the routes, Nick said.

“So that money doesn’t come back. All those expenses doesn’t come back,” he said.

The Ministry of Education indicates the issue is between the parents and Bus to School.

“While the ministry provides student transportation funding to Ontario’s 72 school boards, all decisions at a local level are made by the school board and their local transportation consortium,” said Edyta McKay, spokesperson for the Minister of Education.

“As such, the ministry does not have a role in this matter as these are agreements signed between parents and independent business providing transportation services.”

Bruce E. Campbell, a spokesperson for the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, told INsauga.com Bus to School is a third-party private transportation service with no affiliation or relationship with the board or STOPR.

“… any concerns should be brought directly to the attention of Bus to School,” Campbell said in an email.

The Peel District School Board did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

Lead photo: Mary Taylor