Have you changed your mind about transportation?
Important note: OSTA no longer asks parents/guardians to confirm their transportation intentions. Instead, we ask that you notify us if you have changed your mind about the use of transportation.
Are you eligible for transportation but not planning on using it? Or perhaps, you have opted out of transportation, but your circumstances have changed, leaving you needing it again. Having parents/guardians notify OSTA of their child(ren)’s intent when they are eligible for services helps OSTA better plan capacity on each vehicle, ensuring that services are available, consistent and reliable for students.
Complete OSTA’s Transportation Issues Form to notify us if your circumstances have changed, affecting your eligible child(ren)’s transportation. Whether you opt out of transportation altogether or want it for the morning or afternoon only, it’s important to keep OSTA informed. Simply complete the form, notifying us of any changes to your transportation.
Moving? Changing Daycares? It is important to contact the school directly for all address changes to ensure OSTA’s records are up to date. To find your school contact info, please check the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) or Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) website.
Important Notes:
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Ready to confirm transportation?
Make sure to have your child’s OEN number ready!
Find out more about Opting-In or Opting-Out of Transportation:
A: Please complete a Transportation Issues Form immediately to notify us of your decision to decline transportation. If you have information that is important for us to know (e.g., effective date), please include those details in the comments box.
A: You will have two options:
1) Decline transportation for the current school year (2022-2023).
2) Decline transportation for the next school year (2023-2024)
A: OSTA will re-assess your child(ren)’s eligibility for transportation before the next school year, and as long as all terms and conditions are met, they will be re-assigned to transportation. If your child(ren) is not eligible at that time, they will not receive transportation.
Parents/guardians will be able to find information about their child(ren)’s transportation on OSTA’s Parent Portal in mid-August for the upcoming school year.
A: Yes! Simply choose the appropriate school year when completing the Transportation Issues Form.
A: If you have declined transportation and your circumstances change, leaving you needing transportation again, let OSTA know by sending an email to your school zone.
OSTA will ensure the student is eligible for transportation and that all terms and conditions are met before assigning transportation.
A: Yes! You can decline transportation, whether the child is transported to/from home or to a caregiver’s address. OSTA does transport students to caregivers whose address is within the designated attendance boundary of the school that meets the distance eligibility requirements.
A: OSTA does provide variable transportation services to eligible students who have a joint custody arrangement and whose two homes meet all eligibility requirements. Separate forms are required and must be completed for Joint Custody (variable) Transportation.
If your circumstances change after approval of the joint custody forms, leaving you with not needing transportation, simply decline by completing the transportation issues form.
Refer to OSTA's Variable Transportation for Students in a Joint Custody Arrangement and Having Two Homes for more information, including important application deadline dates.
A: Parents/guardians can find information about their child(ren)'s transportation on OSTA’s Parent Portal.
Transportation information for the next school year, 2023-2024, will be available in the Parent Portal in mid-August 2023.
A: Please contact your child's school as they can submit a form on your behalf.
A: We encourage families to use Active Transportation to get to and from school.
OSTA and its partners have many great resources on School Active Transportation to ensure every student's walk to school is a success. We recommend visiting OSTA's website to get started. We offer pedestrian safety tips, walking route maps and walking school buses for select schools. The benefits of walking to school are endless, from increased health and academic improvements to reducing car emissions and congestion in school zones.
If families plan on driving their children to school, we encourage you to park 5 to 10 mins away and Walk-a-Block instead.
Other resources on Active Transportation: EnviroCentre, Ontario Active School Travel
All student transportation information for 2023-2024 will be made available online, through the OSTA Parent Portal, in mid-August 2023.