Edmonton parents looking at major increase in yellow bus fees come September

Kelsie Johnston · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 21, 2026 3:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 21

Edmonton parents are gearing up to send their kids back to school, but a steep 40 per cent in transportation fees has some parents feeling concerned. 

Starting in September, both Edmonton Public and Edmonton Catholic Schools will be charging parents $70 per month per student, as compared to the $50 per month they were paying last school year. 

In Alberta, in order to be eligible for yellow bus services, children in kindergarten to Grade 6 must live at least 1.6 kilometres away from their designated school. For kids in Grade 7-12 that distance increases to two kilometres. 

Amanda Prentice, a mother of four, her family is fortunate enough to live within walking distance from their school. She said having to pay the increased fees will have major impacts on families. 

“Especially for those who have also paid for daycare on top of everything,” said Prentice. “So if you've got daycare fees, you've got busing fees, we're constantly burdened with all kinds of fees.

"To raise the most basic fees that we have to pay to just get our kids to school seems ridiculous.”

Under the current model, government grants account for approximately 75 per cent of total operational costs, leaving school boards and parents to make up the rest. 

For Edmonton Public Schools, transportation fees for this school year have been raised to $70 per month — up from $50 the year before. Fees are set to rise yet again for the 2027-28 school year to $90 per month. 

WATCH | Edmonton parents face higher transportation fees:

The Edmonton Catholic School Board held a public board of trustees meeting in May where it was reported that yellow bus operating costs have risen by 52 per cent over the last five years, while government funding has only risen by 30 per cent. 

During the meeting, trustees said the decision to raise transportation fees came down to either putting the responsibility on parents or taking the remaining money out of the classroom budget. 

Edmonton Catholic School Board is expected to re-evaluate their fee schedule this fall. 

A CBC News analysis shows that with the recent increase, Edmonton has the most expensive yellow bus fees in the province. 

• Calgary parents looking for ways to save amid rising back-to-school costs

Tracy Deslauriers, whose family lives in Sturgeon County, pays $150 a year to send her kids to school on a yellow school bus. She said that yellow bus services cost her less than what she would have to pay in gas in order to drive her kids to school everyday. 

“I can either spend $150 every couple of weeks to take them to school or $150 for the year,” said Deslauriers. “And then they get to be exposed to some of the kids in their class and their school and community, and so it just made sense for us to let them take the bus.”

For children living in the Black Gold School Division — which serves Beaumont, Calmar, Devon, Leduc and Warburg — transportation fees are currently $90 per year, with a cap at $225 per year for families, regardless of how many children are taking the bus. 

• Another Alberta school division joins trend of covering busing deficit with fees

Garrett Koehler, the senior press secretary for the minister of education and childcare, said fees are set by local trustees. 

“School boards are responsible for determining student transportation service levels and fees in accordance with local board policy," Koehler said in a statement.

"School boards cannot charge more than the cost of service – they can only charge to recoup their own expenses."

While yellow bus fees have increased in Edmonton, ETS passes for students will remain at $60 per month.