BARRIE -- "I took her to school this morning, and it was perfectly fine."
Parents across Simcoe County woke up on Wednesday morning questioning why buses were cancelled when conditions appeared clear.
Despite the dusting of snow on the ground, the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium (SCSTC) says rapidly changing weather conditions leave school bus operators at odds with Mother Nature.
Halting school buses during these times prevent unnecessary risks.
"Visibility was a big factor today; certainly it wasn't so much road conditions. Everything north of Highway 90 through Collingwood, Midland and Orillia was in whiteout conditions," explained SCSTC transportation officer, Sean Levasseur.
By later this afternoon, the weather turned fierce in the Barrie area with gusty winds up to 90km/h.
"We do consider accumulations in weather as it goes on through the day, for sure," Levasseur added.
The SCSTC follows strict protocol every day to ensure it makes the right call.
"In the early morning hours, from three to five, our snow captains are out on the roads and they did experience whiteout conditions," Levasseur said.
Once the consortium makes the decision to put the brakes on school buses, the Simcoe County District School Board gets to work notifying everyone involved.
Bus cancellations across Simcoe Musoka are updated every morning on our website.
For the latest school bus cancellations, click here.
