'We were all shaken': Kids dropped off by bus at wrong stop amid issues with division's new app

A Winnipeg mother said glitches with a new app rolled out by Pembina Trails School Division to assist with communicating students' bus information left her five and seven-year-old sons stranded on their street alone.

Helena Nicholson said she first noticed issues with the My Ride K-12 app as she prepared to send her kids back to school.

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She previously registered for school year bus transportation for her sons and indicated they required pick up in the morning from Epiphany Children's Centre, drop off at École St. Avila, and transportation back to the daycare after school.

Nicholson noticed her kids' daycare was not listed in the app as their intended drop-off or pick-up location, but their home was. As a result, she spent the last week of their summer vacation trying to contact the school to sort out the problem.

"We got confirmation, both verbally and in emails, that that's not a problem, the app was incorrect, to disregard the app, and that they were going to be dropped off and picked up at the daycare. That was obviously not the case," Nicholson told CTV News Winnipeg in an interview.

Helena Nicholson's five and seven-year-old sons head off on the first day of school on Sept. 4, 2024. (Helena Nicholson)

On Wednesday, the first day of school, Nicholson put her kids on the bus at the daycare, confirming with the driver that they would get back on the same bus in the afternoon and be dropped off again at Epiphany.

Instead, Nicholson said the kids were dropped off on their street, with no one home to meet them.

"Turned out, they were told to go on a bus that was the incorrect bus, and then the bus driver, somewhat forcibly, told them to get off the bus at the stop that they were on her list to get off at," she said.

"They're five and seven. They're not allowed to be left unattended. How does that affect me and them? There's so many things that go through your mind. Mostly, at my point right now, it's just anger."

One of Nicholson's neighbours, who was there to pick up her own children, ended up taking Nicholson's sons home. She called Nicholson to let her know what had happened.

"I don't understand why this isn't something that they have dealt with and figured out in May or June of last year so that these things aren't happening," Nicholson said.

"Something needs to change with the way that they are handling our kids."

Helena Nicholson is pictured during an interview with CTV News Winnipeg on Sept. 5, 2024. (Michelle Gerwing/CTV News Winnipeg)

Bus arrived at daycare without children onboard: executive director

Caroline Driedger, executive director of King's Park Child Care, said the bus they were expecting pulled up to their stop without children on board. The driver told waiting staff the kids were on a different bus, and were to be dropped off at their homes.

The daycare immediately reached out to the Pembina Trails School Division's transportation department and parents to make sure they were picked up and with an adult.

Even though kids were dropped off somewhere else, they were quickly accounted for, she said.

"It could have gone many ways, where children were left at bus stops without any adults, without anyone picking them up. It could have led to a little more of a serious incident."

Driedger said she has since contacted the schools and went over which children were supposed to be on which bus.

Despite the first day issues, she believes they have now been ironed out.

"I'm actually confident today we'll be just fine."

Deepa Raghavan, executive director of Epiphany Children's Centre, was expecting 10 children to be dropped off at the daycare after school.

However, only one child arrived, with the whereabouts of the other students unknown.

She later found out most were dropped off at their home address, instead of at the daycare, with no guardian there to grab them.

She said two kids refused to get off the bus and were dropped off at the daycare more than hour later.

"It was horrifying. We were all shaken. Until 4:45 p.m., we were confident the children were on the bus and it's just taking time being the first day. The panic started as of 4:45 p.m., especially when the dispatch had no clue where they were."

On Thursday, Raghavan said she plans on texting families in the future to let them know the drop-off happened smoothly.

Deepa Raghavan, executive director of Epiphany Children's Centre, is pictured at the daycare on Sept. 5, 2024. (Michelle Gerwing/CTV News Winnipeg)

'We take this situation very seriously'

The Pembina Trails School Division amended their statement Thursday afternoon, however, no one was available for an interview.

The statement, from Shelley Amos, Superintendent/CEO, said the division acknowledges “that students were dropped off at the wrong location under unacceptable circumstances,” calling the incident “extremely serious”.

They confirmed that eight children were mistakenly dropped off at home instead of daycare and that the division staff immediately contacted families, and daycare staff.

”We are grateful that all the children were safe, and we are deeply sorry this happened. We sincerely apologize and are committed to preventing such incidents in the future.” the statement said in part, “A review of the incident is already underway, including a thorough evaluation of our communication practices. We acknowledge the need for improvement and are dedicated to providing accurate and timely information.”

The division acknowledged the new software and My Ride app that was acquired resulted in some “unforeseen challenges” that have caused “uncertainty and late information” to some families.

Pembina Trails School Division President and CEO Shelley Amos is pictured during a Sept. 4, 2024 interview at Chancellor School. (Ken Gabel/CTV News Winnipeg)

New app meant to bring 'added efficiency and user capabilities'

In a statement, the school division said it first acquired the new software to assist its transportation department with "the complex challenges of routing and the importance of clear communication with families."

However, the division said the implementation of the new software resulted in some unforeseen challenges, which created complications in communicating bus routes and schedules to all families in the timely fashion it anticipated.

The division said the issue affected about 10 per cent of eligible ridership.

"Our transportation department continues to dedicate their time and resources to provide accurate information to families. We have attempted to reach all affected families using multiple modes of communication," Amos said in a news release.

The My Ride K-12 app's listing is shown in the App Store in a Sept. 5, 2024 screenshot. A description of the app said it is designed to help parents and students stay informed about their school transportation schedules. (App Store)

Tyler Technologies, the company behind the My Ride K-12 app, said in an email it has not been contacted by the school division for assistance on the issue.

A spokesperson notes the app only provides information the division inputs into the software.

"The division has configured the My Ride K-12 app to show only planned pick-up and drop-off schedules. The app is not intended to assist drivers with actually driving the route," the spokesperson said.

"The driver may drop off at an unplanned stop if they are unaware of a schedule change or if they have outdated information."

They also note it is up to each district or division to determine how they want to communicate a schedule or route change.

- With files from CTV's Michelle Gerwing

Helena Nicholson's sons board the bus on the first day of school on Sept. 4, 2024. (Helena Nicholson)