Parents raise alarm after Langley School District cancels bus route

Parents in Langley Township’s Willoughby area are frustrated over news that their children will lose access to their school’s bus route.

In March 2025, the Langey School District sent a letter informing some families living west of 200 Street between 72 and 74 Avenue that, due to recent construction of roadways and pathways in and around the neighbourhood, their properties were now within walking distance of Donna Gabriel Robins Elementary.

Paige Chevalier, who lives in the area, says her son takes the bus and feels like their concerns are not being heard by the school district.

“We had more questions about why that was, and we were met kind of with more stonewalling than anything,” said Chevalier.

She believes it’s not safe for younger students to walk to Donna Gabriel Robins Elementary, which could take around 30 minutes, and says the sidewalks are “inadequate.”

“They [Langley School District] didn’t account for the lack of sidewalks, lighting in the wintertime…and there’s several wooded areas that they would have to cross…there’s no way you can see it from either road, so you’re fully shaded from any public being able to see you,” said Chevalier.

“Even as an adult, I don’t like going there.”

In a statement, the school district says that while these students were no longer eligible for transportation starting in September 2025, a decision was made to allow them to ride the bus for one school year to help families make alternative plans.

“Ridership is prioritized for ‘Grade K-7 students and middle school students (grades 6 – 8) who live 3.2 km or more away, by travelled road or walkway, from the nearest school in the student’s catchment area,’” said the Langley School District.

“As part of the boundary catchment consultation process in Fall 2024, many of the families living in the area west of 200th Street in between 72nd and 74th Avenues expressed their interest to stay in the Donna Gabriel Robins Elementary catchment and not move to a neighbouring school, despite the neighbouring school being closer to their homes.”

Chevalier says she and several other parents have offered to pay as a community to continue the bus service. She says she plans to drive her children when they can no longer access the bus, but she’s concerned for others who can not drive.

“I know one person for sure is looking at how much it’s going to be if they can get like an Uber or Lyft…they have to look at that additional cost to see if that’s even a feasible option for them,” said Chevalier. “If [the Langley School District] really did care about the safety of these children in this community, there would be alternatives offered.”

As of Friday morning, a petition calling on the Langley School District and school board to reconsider discontinuing the area’s bus service has garnered over 700 signatures.