Parents bus concerns as key services axed before school term restarts
Children who relied on commercial buses have been 'left behind'
Parents are worried about how their children will get to school next week because bus services have been withdrawn.
All pupils entitled to school bus transport will get a seat when the new terms begins next Wednesday, however parents in some communities who relied on commercial buses have been left behind following the removal of services.
Meanwhile, Moffat residents can no longer catch a commercial bus to Dumfries any time before 9am – affecting commuters and school kids alike.
The region’s subsidised bus transport provision was recently reconfigured, and the chaos this has caused only became clear today (Monday) at a specially-convened meeting of Dumfries and Galloway Council.
A long list of councillors raised complaint after complaint on behalf of residents in places stretching from Heathhall and Sanquhar to Castle Douglas and Stranraer.
Some council officers had to cut their summer holidays short to attend the emergency meeting, and they admitted that there is no money left in the Swestrans (The South West of Scotland Transport Partnership) budget to plug the gaps where numerous bus services were withdrawn last week.
Annandale North Councillor Carolyne Wilson thanked council officers, Swestrans, and local bus operators for pulling together to deliver services in “extremely challenging circumstances”.
Dozens of new contracts had to be issued and new commercial operators came on board to support public and school provision after Stagecoach withdrew from the region.
However, Councillor Wilson expressed worries about bus routes being dropped and insisted that the public have been left with a “significantly poorer level of service.”
She said: “People are unable to get to work and school from Moffat in the morning because of the withdrawal of the 74 service.
“We’ve got pupils from Locharbriggs and Heathhall unable to get on morning buses into Dumfries because fewer services are running, and students unable to get to college because morning buses from the town centre to The Crichton have been cut.
“There will be many more examples from across the region, and the Labour Group is not prepared to accept this as business as usual.”
Mid Galloway and Wigtown West Councillor Richard Marsh said: “I’ve had multiple questions from parents because less than two weeks before the start of the new term they are unaware of how their children are going to get to school.
“The report talks about the travel for non-entitled pupils. The date in the report – I don’t know if that’s a typo – states that by September 19 parents will be notified of their success or otherwise of transport for their non-entitled child.
“That’s a month after school restarts. Surely that can’t be correct? Parents need to know if their child will get to school ahead of the new term.”
John Thin, the council’s head of education, said: “That date is actually correct. The reason for that is because, as a council, we are trying to get the entitled young people sorted first.
“We do advise parents when they’re applying for non-entitled transport of the fact that it will be up until September 19.”
He added that this is because places can’t be confirmed until all pupils have returned to school and forms have been submitted.
Earlier in the meeting, councillors were informed that the council chief executive had approved capital borrowing of £1.7m to invest in six coaches and one
large bus to support the delivery of council school bus runs and some public subsidised bus routes.
A further £964,540 has been identified within the council’s transport capital budget to purchase a further five large buses.