A school bus company established in Lakefield in 1969 has lost its contract with Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario (STSCO), affecting around 100 school bus drivers and employees and prompting the creation of an online petition.
Hamilton Bus Lines was established in 1969 by Ellwood Hamilton, starting with a station wagon and growing to provide transportation services for more than 70 school bus routes in Peterborough and area.
In 2020, retiring owner Lisa Hamilton-Howie sold her family’s company to Burlington’s family-owned Attridge Transportation Inc., which continued to use the Hamilton name on local buses and retained all the company’s bus drivers and staff at the Lakefield location.
Last Thursday (June 27), STSCO issued a statement that it had completed a months-long request for proposal for student transportation, where school bus operators submitted competitive bids for existing bus routes.
“The results of this process have now been released and while many current operators obtained contracts, Hamilton Bus Lines was not successful as part of the procurement and bidding process,” reads the statement on STSCO’s website.
“We recognize and appreciate the significant impact this may have on drivers with Hamilton Bus Lines,” the statement continues. “As the successful operators begin to hire drivers for local routes, we encourage local drivers to apply for these positions. We value local drivers and their important role in transporting students safely to school.”
STSCO has awarded a Concord-based company named Wheelchair Accessible Transit (W.A.T.) with the contract for routes previously serviced by Hamilton Bus Lines, effective in September.
Keri Toms has started an online petition at change.org/p/help-support-hamilton-bus-lines to support Hamilton Bus Lines and the drivers who have lost their jobs.
“Our goal is to have as many people made aware of this terrible situation and for them to act now by signing this petition and by letting STSCO, Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and its trustees, along with our local forms of government know that we will not just stand by while they ruin this local company and its employees,” the petition reads.
As of the date of this story, the petition has received more than 2,300 signatures, including from school bus drivers with Hamilton Bus Lines.
“I have been an employee of Hamilton Bus Lines for 18 years,” read one petition comment in part. “Our whole amazing family at Hamilton Bus Lines has been devastated and blindsided.”
“I just started driving with Hamilton Bus lines in April,” reads another comment. “Great company, I have driven for other school bus companies, their management does not compare to Hamilton, they are caring, reliable and very professional.”
“My husband is a well loved bus driver that tries to make a difference to the children that are in his care,” writes another commenter. “Hamilton Bus Lines care about their kids and their employees and it truly is a shame they have been sold out to the (lowest) bidder!”
For its part, STSCO states that W.A.T. will be hiring local school bus drivers on local routes and will be servicing their vehicles locally.
“We want to reassure families that your children’s bus routes will continue to be operated by drivers that have been hired locally and are part of our communities,” the STSCO statement reads. “Also, we would like to note that all new contracts require all operators to set up local facilities to service their buses.”
“STSCO will be working closely with all bus companies over the summer months to monitor their preparedness for September start-up and we are committed to sharing updates as we prepare for another school year.”
