An Oro-Medonte parent is concerned for the safety of W.R. Best Memorial Public School students who ride Bus 476.
Martin van der Staay, the father of two children ages four and 13, says he's observed the bus being driven erratically on numerous occasions this school year.
"It started with not signalling, speeding, and those kinds of things," he said. "One day, he dropped the kids off in totally the wrong spot."
On March 19, van der Staay watched his kids get dropped off on County Road 93 on the road between a live lane and a guard rail. He says the bus driver took off without making sure the students got to the sidewalk safely.
Van der Staay says he isn't the only parent to witness various infractions by the driver.
"It's all in line with everything I've been seeing — poor driving, unsafe practices, hitting garbage cans, a tree, and getting the bus stuck in a ditch," he said.
He says he's been "lip serviced" by W.R. Best Memorial Public School and the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium (SCSTC), which he has complained to on several occasions.
"They told me they have GPS sensors on the buses and break sensors," he said. "They apologized and said that his GPS unit was malfunctioning or out of service."
Van der Staay feels his complaints are not being heard. He has also contacted the OPP, which has told him it have limited resources unless a collision occurs.
"Their only solution, which is the best I've got, is to gather the stories of other parents and call the police any time we see anything," he said.
He is "fearful" that a preventable accident will injure students before a change is made.
"It sounds like it's just a matter of time," he said. "I'm a little skeptical that anything will change."
Van der Staay believes the bus driver should either be retrained or fired.
"It seems like a bunch of people are knowingly making the wrong decision because it's the easier one," he said. "The well-being of children should be paramount for all of us."
Since his kids were dropped off in a "dangerous" spot on County Road 93, he has pulled them from the bus.
"We are some of the only parents who have that luxury because my wife works from home and has a very flexible schedule," he said. "All these other kids still take the bus because their parents don't have the luxury that we have."
While Kim Malkamaki, the chief executive officer and general manager of the SCSTC, declined to answer specific questions from Village Media regarding this issue, she says the SCSTC is aware of the incident and "has worked with the school vehicle operator to investigate and confirm the accuracy of the identified allegations, including reviewing GPS reports."
"The process and resolution regarding this incident is consistent with other incidents reported to the SCSTC," she said in a statement.
