Back to school for P.E.I. bus drivers means testing, cleaning and masking

Island kids are heading back to class Monday morning, and thousands of them will be riding the school bus to get there.

"We are all geared up, ready to go," said Jason MacKinnon, president of CUPE 1145, the union that represents the bus drivers.

"A little bit of apprehension, a little bit of excitement."

Premier Dennis King confirmed in a briefing Wednesday that students, held out of schools due to the severe impact of the Omicron COVID-19 variant on the Island, will return to the classroom Jan. 31.

Drivers will be picking up new masks and COVID testing kits before hitting the road. They will be testing 48 hours prior to starting out on Monday morning.

"We will be doing our rapid tests to make sure we are good to go," he said, adding that there will be ongoing testing for a while, just like other school staff.

If adriver tests positive on a rapid test someone will be chosen from the pool of substitute drivers to take over that run.Drivers also have contact tracing lists of every student, and drivers do enhanced cleaningon their bus twice a day.

Despite these precautions, some drivers are concerned about safety.

"They are just a little bit nervous of the safety and protection we have," he said.

"On a school bus, the only protection you do have is a mask."

And some of the precautions inside the school don't apply when students get on the bus.

"They talk about the cohorting and stuff in schools because that's a static environment," he said.

"But the cohorting and social distancing is impossible when you enter a school bus because you are eight feet wide and 40 feet long and it's impossible to social distance."

A single school bus could have up to 10 to 15 different cohorts on board, because the don't just travel to one school.

'I am excited to get back to work'

Drivers are still looking for a few clarifications, including frequency of testing and what to do if students are not wearing their masks, said MacKinnon.

"We want to make sure that the rules are followed," he said of masks in particular.

"It's a huge layer of protection, especially on a school bus."

Overall, MacKinnon said he is confident in his employers so he is not worried personally.

"We do our jobs diligently," he said. "I am excited to get back to work."