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Provincial police are warning motorists in the Renfrew area to be on the lookout for school buses as student transportation returns to service for the first time this school year.
“Most school buses across Renfrew County will be on the road starting Monday,” OPP said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“Upper Ottawa Valley reminds all motorists to exercise caution and to give yourself extra commuting time.”
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OPP reminds drivers that they must stop if they encounter a stopped school bus with its safety lights on and the stop arm activated.
“This applies whether you are meeting or following a school bus and includes multi-lane roads.”
The only exception is on a road with a median where traffic coming from the opposite direction is not required to stop.
Vehicle owners can be charged if their vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus, even if the owner wasn’t driving. The fine ranges from $400 to $2,000 and six demerit points for the first offence. Subsequent offences carry a fine between $1,000 and $4.000, six demerit points and possible jail time (up to six months).
Earlier this month, school bus companies, the transportation consortium and the two local school boards announced an agreement had been reached on a new contract.
Students throughout the region had gone without bus service for weeks.
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