Delivering accessible school transportation services in Canada's Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area: A study of education professionals' perspectives

Accessible school transportation is often essential to disabled students’ equitable access to education. This study centres on the experiences of education professionals with disabled students’ school transportation in Ontario, Canada’s Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Grounded in a Critical Disability Studies perspective, the paper is organized around three key themes: operational barriers, communication complexities, and inclusive practices. Student transportation problems can give rise to serious safety concerns and excessive missed classroom time, and impose severe limitations on extracurricular participation. These issues, often overlooked in policy and practice, are exacerbated by bus driver shortages and the prioritization of cost-minimization over disabled students’ experiences and well-being. Communication gaps between school boards, schools, families, and student transportation providers undermine both reliability and student safety. The paper concludes with recommendations for improving accessible student transportation. The study illuminates the need for cross-sector collaboration, including meaningful engagement with families, to address transportation inequities. • Disabled students face barriers to safe and inclusive school transportation. • Issues with scheduling, route planning, and communication must be addressed. • Education professionals play a key role in shaping accessible school transportation. • Recommendations for policy and practice are proposed for consideration.