Overcrowded bus
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Overcrowded bus
My DD (year 8 ) has just come home from the school bus saying that this year there's not enough room for all the students to sit down for the journey, so some are standing or sitting in the aisles.
Clearly this often happens on public transport, but would you expect it on a County Council service?
Any thoughts appreciated!
Clearly this often happens on public transport, but would you expect it on a County Council service?
Any thoughts appreciated!
that doesn't sound legal, surely?
Last year, my boy said the same thing about his bus - run by a private co but very much a school bus. Since his pass costs getting on for £750 and knowing that the Y7s would be bottom of the pecking order I was a little anxious so I rang the bus co. Turned out that some children were on the wrong service and once they were re-assigned the correct number was left. Have a word with the council about it.
Last year, my boy said the same thing about his bus - run by a private co but very much a school bus. Since his pass costs getting on for £750 and knowing that the Y7s would be bottom of the pecking order I was a little anxious so I rang the bus co. Turned out that some children were on the wrong service and once they were re-assigned the correct number was left. Have a word with the council about it.
If the council can't/won't do anything about it, there is an organization that might be able to help called BUSK, which stands for Belt Up School Kids, and which campaigns for schoolchildren to be transported in safe school buses with seatbelts and enough seats for everyone. The organization is run from South Wales by Pat Harris and the patron is Mike Nolan of Bucks Fizz fame - remember them? 
- who was himself seriously injured in a bus crash. BUSK was very helpful to us a few years ago when our regular school bus service was transferred to a company which used the cheapest and oldest vehicles with no seatbelts. The story made the local news and the national press, and we managed to get the council to change its policy on minimum standards for primary school transport.
However, for such a relatively successful and influential campaign organization, BUSK doesn't seem to have its own website! It can be contacted on 01633 274944 or email buskuk@aol.com .
- who was himself seriously injured in a bus crash. BUSK was very helpful to us a few years ago when our regular school bus service was transferred to a company which used the cheapest and oldest vehicles with no seatbelts. The story made the local news and the national press, and we managed to get the council to change its policy on minimum standards for primary school transport.However, for such a relatively successful and influential campaign organization, BUSK doesn't seem to have its own website! It can be contacted on 01633 274944 or email buskuk@aol.com .
Marylou
I have a few friends with children in Warwickshire who have needed buses to school and it seems as if they take a while to settle down each year but will adjust routes etc if necessary to fit in with where the children are - after all each year there could be quite a shift in where new children need to be ferried from and to. If things are unsatisfactory phone the council and badger them - they won't necessarily hear from the bus company who won't care as long as they get paid for the contract...
Buses v Coaches
After many problems with my DD's bus in Bucks - too numerous to list but a few examples are old cheap buses breaking down on red traffic lights and then rolling forward across the traffic, breaking down and then mechanic (smoking) trying to fix it with engine open, and children still on the bus, breaking down on country road for 12 hours leaking oil, water coming up through floor when it rains .......
I went to see the bus company as the council are hopeless and when I told them that there were children standing on the buses and we live in a very rural, hilly area and that if a deer, rabbit or other wildlife jumped out the children would go flying he replied that on buses children can stand on coaches they have to sit.
Needless to say I will be contacting BUSK to see what can be done and I'm so glad I came across this topic as noboby seems to care.
I went to see the bus company as the council are hopeless and when I told them that there were children standing on the buses and we live in a very rural, hilly area and that if a deer, rabbit or other wildlife jumped out the children would go flying he replied that on buses children can stand on coaches they have to sit.
Needless to say I will be contacting BUSK to see what can be done and I'm so glad I came across this topic as noboby seems to care.
I do hope you have success!
We're still having 'issues' with our bus. Several of us contacted the Council, which put an Inspector on the bus and agreed it was too full. Unfortunately, the answer was to stop some youngsters getting on at all! This means some young people are having to get an earlier public bus (7.30 or earlier), get off in the middle of town and walk to school. They are generally the ones who pay daily because it's cheaper than buying a bus pass when their parents collect them once or twice a week after netball/football or whatever.
I would now be much more wary of complaining about an overcrowded bus unless it was overcrowded with 'free bus pass' youngsters! The Council is only obliged to provide transport for those more than 3 miles away from their nearest school. In our case, the nearest school would be our local comprehensive so the Council is not obliged to lay on a service for the grammars and can withdraw it (or the bus places) at any time... It's quite scary really!
We're still having 'issues' with our bus. Several of us contacted the Council, which put an Inspector on the bus and agreed it was too full. Unfortunately, the answer was to stop some youngsters getting on at all! This means some young people are having to get an earlier public bus (7.30 or earlier), get off in the middle of town and walk to school. They are generally the ones who pay daily because it's cheaper than buying a bus pass when their parents collect them once or twice a week after netball/football or whatever.
I would now be much more wary of complaining about an overcrowded bus unless it was overcrowded with 'free bus pass' youngsters! The Council is only obliged to provide transport for those more than 3 miles away from their nearest school. In our case, the nearest school would be our local comprehensive so the Council is not obliged to lay on a service for the grammars and can withdraw it (or the bus places) at any time... It's quite scary really!