Transportation

NLPS Student Transportation is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year. All families who wish to access student transportation for their children for the 2025-2026 school year must complete an application form for each child that requires transportation. 

All families MUST register for student transportation no later than Friday, August 22, 2025 in order to be assigned to a route for the first day of school. Routes will be finalized following the close of registration on the 22nd and parents/guardians will be notified of their route, pick up and drop off locations between Aug. 25 and 29th. No route changes will be made that week or during the first week of school.

Requests for student transportation that are received after August 22 will be reviewed and assigned space on existing routes for the week of September 8th based on availability. Depending on the resources available at the start of the school year, some families may need to be placed on a waiting list.

The 2025-2026 Transportation Application Form is available in School Engage.

• If you are new to Northern Lights Public Schools, you must register for school before you can apply for Transportation Services. 
  
  
• If you have a student currently enrolled in an NLPS school, the 2025-2026 Transportation Application Form can be accessed through the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
  • You will need to access the Parent Portal using a computer (desktop or laptop) in order to access registration forms. You will not be able to access the forms using the Parent Portal app.
  • If you already have a Parent Portal account set up, you can log in, click on School Engage in the lower left hand corner and you will be able to access the form. Please make sure you select the form for the correct year. You need to complete a form for each child that is going to be riding the bus.
  • If you do not already have a Parent Portal account set up, please contact your school for information.
    
    
• Once you have submitted your application form, the NLPS Transportation Department will contact you to confirm your information, discuss any fees that may apply, and provide you with information on how to pay those fees.

• Where fees are applicable, registration will not be considered complete until fees are paid in full or a payment plan is set up in School Cash Online. Fees for in-town busing are payable in up to four installments. January 1st will be the final installment date available. An automatic $26 non-payment charge will be added to your School Cash Online account if payment is rejected. If all non-payment charges and rejected payments are not received by January 31, the parent/guardian will be asked to withdraw their child(ren) from riding the bus.

Transportation Fees

Due to rising transportation costs and the fact that provincial funding has not kept pace with the full cost of providing student transportation services in rural Alberta, Northern Lights Public Schools has implemented a $140 ridership fee for the 2025-2026 school year for all students who access student transportation services.

Fees are also charged for students who are ineligible for transportation funding in the communities of Bonnyville, Cold Lake and Lac La Biche. These are students in Kindergarten to Grades 6 who live within 1.0 km of their designated school, and students in grades 7-12 who live within 2.0 km of their designated school. Please note that in-town routes are subject to availability of bus contractors and drivers and students may be placed on a waiting list until space becomes available on an established route.

A fee will also be charged for any student who requires a seat on an second (alternate) route, unless it is required to comply with a custody agreement. The fee for this service for 2025-2026 is $500. Alternate route seats will only be provided if space is available on the alternate route and will be capped at one alternate seat per student.

For the 2025-2026 school year, fees will be charged as follows:

Fee	Grade Level	Distance from Designated School	Fee (per year)
Ridership Fee	All Students	Not applicable	$140 (capped at a maximum of $420 per household)
In-Town Transportation Fee	Kindergarten to Grade 6	Less than 1.0 kilometres	$500
In-Town Transportation Fee	Grades 7-12	Less than 2.0 kilometres	$750
Alternate Route Fee	All Students	Not Applicable	$500

Where fees are applicable, registration will not be considered complete until fees are paid in full or a payment plan is set up in School Cash Online. Fees for in-town busing are payable in up to four installments. January 1st will be the final installment date available. An automatic $26 non-payment charge will be added to your School Cash Online account if payment is rejected. If all non-payment charges and rejected payments are not received by January 31, the parent/guardian will be asked to withdraw their child(ren) from riding the bus.