North Bay-area parents scramble to find transportation as school bus strike enters third day
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Nearly 2,000 students across North Bay, West Nipissing, Parry Sound and surrounding communities remain without school transportation for a third straight day as roughly 80 drivers with Alouette Bus Lines continue their strike.
Parents have been forced to make alternative arrangements — adjusting work schedules, leaning on relatives, or organizing carpools to get children to and from school.
Christiane Cheff, a single mother in Sturgeon Falls, Ont., has two children affected by the strike and has relied on her own mother for help.
“It’s been really hard on families. There’s no question about that. But most of the families want to be very clear that our frustration isn’t with the drivers. We stand with them fighting for fair working conditions and ultimately that benefits our kids too,” Cheff said.
She said pick-up and drop-off lines at schools have been unusually long, but support for drivers remains strong among many families.
“They work hard, they’re dedicated. They take good care of our kids,” Cheff said.
Karen Parker, whose Grade 9 son attends school in North Bay, turned to social media to find a carpool.
“I was so surprised by the community. Everyone was sharing my post,” Parker said. A family member reached out to her to offer her son a ride to school. “So I’ve been very lucky in the sense that I have a parent who’s willing to do it,” she said.
Parker said she also supports the striking workers.
“These bus drivers deserve to be paid fairly. The work they put in and the time they commit, it needs to be shown in their pay so that they can continue being available. It’s a big inconvenience, yes, but I definitely support what is going on,” she said.
Stephanie Gunson, president of United Steelworkers Local 2020, which represents the drivers, said the current average wage is $18.11 per hour.
Drivers have been without a contract since August 2025. On Monday, they rejected the company’s latest offer of a $2.69 per hour wage increase.
“The reason why it was turned down is because it still fell below the liveable wage in the area,” Gunson said.
“We have drivers in the area with other companies making $23 to $25 an hour and these drivers for whatever reason, the employer is just not wanting to get up to par with everybody else,” she said.
In a statement issued Monday, Alouette Bus Lines said it remains committed to reaching a deal.
“Alouette Bus Lines has offered a wage proposal ensuring that our school bus drivers would be amongst the highest paid drivers in the region. The company remains committed to achieving a new collective agreement.”
The Nipissing-Parry Sound Student Transportation Services, which oversees bus routes but does not take part in contract negotiations, said it is working on contingency plans but did not provide further details.
