School buses cancelled in Ottawa on Thursday due to major storm

The city is getting ready for a major blast of winter weather with up to 40 cm of snow expected. CTV’s Tyler Fleming with the pre-storm preparations.

School buses have been cancelled for all Ottawa English and French public and Catholic schools on Thursday, ahead of a major winter storm set to hit the capital.

Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for Ottawa, calling for 30 to 40 centimetres of snow Wednesday night and Thursday.

• Winter storm set to bring 40 cm of snow to Ottawa. Here is when the snow is expected to begin

The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority says all school bus and van transportation for the English Catholic and Public Schools and the French Catholic and Public Schools in Ottawa will be cancelled on Thursday.

The closures affect all schools with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Ottawa Catholic School Board, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est and the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario.

OC Transpo 600-series school routes and any school trips on regular routes will not run Thursday, OSTA said.

As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, schools will be open for students.

• OC Transpo reducing bus service, parking articulated buses on Thursday due to significant snowstorm

OC Transpo is reducing bus service and parking “many articulated buses” on Thursday due to the storm. The transit service will operate a “severe storm schedule” for buses, with reduced frequencies and modified trip times.

Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar says some routes will not run.

Eastern Ontario school bus cancellations

There will also be no school bus service in eastern Ontario on Thursday.

The Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario says school buses will be cancelled for the Upper Canada District School Board and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario.

Schools will remain open.

There is no word on school buses for schools in Renfrew County.