# Bus cancellations and snow days: a plan for parents

> When bus cancellations are announced, what a cancellation means for school, and a night-before and morning plan for parents, using the official sites and the snow day predictor.

Canonical: https://buscancellations.ca/for/parents
Last updated: 2026-10-29

Updated 2026-10-29 · By The BusCancellations.ca team

Storm mornings are about one decision: does my kid go to school, and how? The answer comes from your consortium early in the morning. Here’s how to see it coming the night before and get it fast in the morning.

**Short answer:** The night before: check the snow day chance and line up a backup. In the morning: the official status, posted before the first buses leave (by 6:30 a.m. at the two consortia we checked). All year: your consortium’s route alerts.

## Which tool for which question

| Question | Best place to look |
| --- | --- |
| Will tomorrow be a snow day? | [Snow day predictor](https://buscancellations.ca/snow-day-predictor) (a model estimate, not a decision) |
| Are buses cancelled right now? | Your consortium’s site, or [the live board](https://buscancellations.ca) for every region at once |
| Is my child’s bus late? | Your consortium’s route alerts or delays page |
| Are schools closed today? | [Schools closed today](https://buscancellations.ca/schools-closed-today), then your board’s site |
| Is a warning out? | [Environment Canada’s alerts map](https://weather.gc.ca/index_e.html?layers=alert) or the WeatherCAN app |

## The night before

- Open the [snow day predictor](https://buscancellations.ca/snow-day-predictor) for your area. It reads the newest Environment Canada forecast every 15 minutes and gives a chance for buses cancelled or schools closed, with the reasons (snow, ice, wind, cold, warnings).
- Above about 40% our verdict reads Likely; that’s the point to line up childcare or a work-from-home morning. Forecasts change overnight, so check again first thing.
- If a warning is out, the chance already includes it: Environment Canada warnings are one of the five factors.

## The morning

- Consortia decide before the first buses leave. Simcoe County says it posts cancellations between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m.; Southwestern Ontario STS decides by 6:30 a.m.
- Open [the live board](https://buscancellations.ca) or your region page. We read 26 official transportation sites every 3 minutes from 4 to 11 a.m. and show the time of our last check.
- If anything looks off, the official site wins. Every region page links to it.

## Buses cancelled is not a snow day

In most of Ontario, cancelled buses mean schools stay open for students who can get there safely. A full closure is announced by the board and is rarer. Our status shows the two differently: “Buses cancelled” and “Schools closed”.

## Set up alerts once

Some consortia send alerts for your child’s run: Simcoe County by email for delays of 15 minutes or more, Southwestern Ontario STS through its free BP Bus Delays app and parent portal. You’ll need the bus run number, which the consortium’s parent portal or the sign in the bus window shows. We don’t send route alerts, so set these up before the first storm.

**Check tomorrow’s snow day chance:** Your area’s chance, the reasons, and the live bus status. [Check tomorrow’s snow day chance](https://buscancellations.ca/snow-day-predictor)

## Questions people ask

### What time are school bus cancellations announced?

Before the first routes leave. Simcoe County says it posts them between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. and Southwestern Ontario STS decides by 6:30 a.m.; other consortia are similar. Some also post afternoon cancellations when weather turns during the day.

### Is the snow day predictor the official decision?

No. It is our estimate from the Environment Canada forecast. Only your board or its consortium makes the call, and our region pages show that call once it is posted.

### Can BusCancellations.ca text me when buses are cancelled?

No. We don’t send texts or route alerts, and there are no accounts. Your consortium’s own alerts are the way to be notified for your child’s run.

## Sources

- [Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium](https://simcoecountyschoolbus.ca/), checked 2026-10-29
- [Southwestern Ontario STS, Bus delays and cancellations](https://www.mybigyellowbus.ca/bus-delays-and-cancellations/), checked 2026-10-29
- [Southwestern Ontario STS, BP Bus Delays app](https://www.mybigyellowbus.ca/bp-bus-delays-app), checked 2026-10-29
- [Environment Canada, WeatherCAN app](https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/weather-general-tools-resources/weathercan.html), checked 2026-10-29
- [Environment Canada, weather alerts map](https://weather.gc.ca/index_e.html?layers=alert), checked 2026-10-29
- [BusCancellations.ca, About and how it works](https://buscancellations.ca/about)

## Related

- [Best way to check bus cancellations for rural families](https://buscancellations.ca/best/rural-families)
- [BusCancellations.ca vs your board’s official bus site](https://buscancellations.ca/vs/buscancellations-vs-official-bus-sites)
- [SnowPredictor.ca alternatives](https://buscancellations.ca/alternatives/snowpredictor-ca)
- [Is it a snow day today?](https://buscancellations.ca/is-it-a-snow-day-today)
- [All comparisons and guides](https://buscancellations.ca/compare)