5 and 7-year-olds dropped off by bus at wrong location after glitch with school division’s new app

September 5, 2024 Canuck

A Winnipeg mother said glitches with a new app rolled out by Pembina Trails School Division to assist with scheduling bussing for students left her five and seven-year-old sons stranded on their street alone.

Helena Nicholson said she first noticed issues with the My Ride K-12 app in the days before the first day of school.

She previously registered for school year bus transportation for her sons and indicated they required pick up in the morning from Epiphany Children’s Centre, drop off at École St. Avila, and transportation back to the daycare after school.

Nicholson noticed her kids’ daycare was not listed in the app as their intended drop-off or pick-up location, but their home was. As a result, she spent the last week of their summer vacation trying to contact the school to sort out the problem.

“We got confirmation, both verbally and in emails, that that’s not a problem, the app was incorrect, to disregard the app, and that they were going to be dropped off and picked up at the daycare. That was obviously not the case,” Nicholson told CTV News Winnipeg in an interview.

Helena Nicholson’s five and seven-year-old sons head off on the first day of school on Sept. 4, 2024. (Helena Nicholson)

On Wednesday, the first day of school, Nicholson put her kids on the bus at the daycare, confirming with the driver that they would get back on the same bus in the afternoon and be dropped off again at Epiphany.

Instead, Nicholson said the kids were dropped off on their street, with no one home to meet them.

“Turned out, they were told to go on a bus that was the incorrect bus, and then the bus driver, somewhat forcibly, told them to get off the bus at the stop that they were on her list to get off at,” she said.

“They’re five and seven. They’re not allowed to be left unattended. How does that affect me and them? There’s so many things that go through your mind. Mostly, at my point right now, it’s just anger.”

One of Nicholson’s neighbours, who was there to pick up her children, ended up taking Nicholson’s sons home. She called Nicholson to let her know what had happened.

“I don’t understand why this isn’t something that they have dealt with and figured out in May or June of last year so that these things aren’t happening,” Nicholson said.

“Something needs to change with the way that they are handling our kids.”

Helena Nicholson is pictured during an interview with CTV News Winnipeg on Sept. 5, 2024. (Michelle Gerwing/CTV News Winnipeg)

‘We take this situation very seriously’

In a statement, Pembina Trails School Division Superintendent and CEO Shelley Amos said eight students were mistakenly dropped off Wednesday at their homes instead of their daycare.

“We take this situation very seriously. Upon learning of the issue, division staff immediately contacted the affected families and daycare staff by phone,” the statement read.

“We are grateful that all the children were safe, and we are deeply sorry this happened. We sincerely apologize and are committed to preventing such incidents in the future.”

CTV News Winnipeg contacted the Pembina School Division for further comment and was told Amos would not be available for an interview.

Pembina Trails School Division President and CEO Shelley Amos is pictured during a Sept. 4, 2024 interview at Chancellor School. (Ken Gabel/CTV News Winnipeg)

New app meant to bring ‘added efficiency and user capabilities’

In a statement, the school division said it first acquired the new software to assist its transportation department with “the complex challenges of routing and the importance of clear communication with families.”

However, the division said the implementation of the new software resulted in some unforeseen challenges, which created complications in communicating bus routes and schedules to all families in the timely fashion it anticipated.

The division said the issue affected about 10 per cent of eligible ridership.

“Our transportation department continues to dedicate their time and resources to provide accurate information to families. We have attempted to reach all affected families using multiple modes of communication,” Amos said in a news release.

The My Ride K-12 app’s listing is shown in the App Store in a Sept. 5, 2024 screenshot. A description of the app said it is designed to help parents and students stay informed about their school transportation schedules. (App Store)