School Transport Chaos

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  • #54670

    Sue McGrane
    Participant

    Wrexham Council today decided, without warning parents or schools, to enforce a rule that few seem to know even exists.

    My 13 year old daughter was one of many children who on going to board the school bus, were told they were not allowed to board or use the transport without a bus pass. A bus pass??? I can remember receiving a letter confirming her entitlement to use the transport, before she started secondary school – but a bus pass? She has never been asked to provide one before, and neither had her elder brother and sister, now aged 19 and 21, who attended the same school and used the same service. Nor, it seemed had any of the other kids left waiting at the bus stop with her, when the bus drove off without them.

    Back home she came, I was left struggling to sort out getting her to school, trying to work around the needs of her elderly Nan, who lives with us and who suffers from dementia. I phoned the council at first, convinced it must be a mistake – phone lines not surprisingly very busy, and when I eventually got through I was met by the response that if she didn’t have a bus pass, I would have to wait for the council to send her one before she could use the bus again – and told that it had always been policy. When I pointed out that even if it had been policy, it had never before been enforced, I got the response that it should have been! No help, no apology, no explanation as to why the council had suddenly decided to implement this, or why we hadn’t been informed. I asked him had there been many complaints – “Quite a few” he confirmed.

    I checked the council website – no mention that the children have to carry a bus pass, btw.

    I got to the school to find a mass of parents all complaining. None had ever heard of this ‘policy’ before. Some have work commitments and had no idea how they were going to collect the children later. One woman said a bunch of kids were walking to school from Coed Poeth (The school is a Welsh Language school, and so children bus in from a variety of locations). One person said that she had had the phone put down on her when she had complained, 2 people said that the person they spoke to had blamed the school for not informing the parents – but the Headmaster confirmed he knew nothing about this until the parents turned up this morning. I have no ideas how many other schools are affected. Parents are now left in limbo, not knowing if they have to collect their children (somehow) later today.

    I wonder what has happened to those kids who’s parents had left for work before they tried to catch the bus? I wonder how many have had to walk to school when they are legally entitled to the transport? (I hope no child is injured whilst making that walk) I wonder how many have been unable to get to school? I wonder WHY on earth Wrexham council have seen fit to implement this rule, much less, have done so without informing anyone – not the parents, not the school.

    Completely stupid, inconsiderate and pointless!

    #69109

    tmack
    Participant

    Don’t get me started on the transport section of Wrexham Council. My son started his first year at Coleg Cambria yesterday and still hasn’t received his bus pass to even show the bus driver or even know what time/where the bus picks up. I’ve been paying for public transport for the last two days with still no indication of when he’s likely to receive it. We completed the forms for a bus pass on the night he registered for his A levels at the college itself, way back in January. When two weeks before the start of college he still hadn’t had the bus pass I phoned the transport department to be told they hadn’t received his application form. They blamed the college and said it had happened to lots of students. They took all his details over the phone and told me not to worry as they would arrange for one to be posted. Come last Friday he still hadn’t received it. I rang the transport department again to be told his name was familiar and they were sure they had posted it but if not it would definitely be posted 1st class Friday. Guess what? Still no bus pass! As an aside, the transport department had also told me that I had to contact the transport provider myself to find out times and pick up points. They warned me the bus company was difficult to contact?! I have been trying to contact them for nearly three weeks and cannot get through. Why the heck the council can’t provide a timetable goodness only knows seeing as they award the contracts! I’ve rung the council again this morning to complain and they’ve said someone will ring me back. Well that was 4 hours ago and its no surprise that that hasn’t happened. Utter shambles.

    #69091

    DR
    Participant

    We’ve had quite a few people get in touch about this morning and are trying to follow it up. We have heard reports that people have been told they can collect a bus pass from the offices on the industrial estate or wait until Thursday when one would be delivered

    Children Left Stranded After Bus Pass Confusion | Wrexham.com

    #69077

    Sue McGrane
    Participant

    @darryl 14837 wrote:

    We’ve had quite a few people get in touch about this morning and are trying to follow it up. We have heard reports that people have been told they can collect a bus pass from the offices on the industrial estate or wait until Thursday when one would be delivered

    Children Left Stranded After Bus Pass Confusion | Wrexham.com

    It took me several attempts to get through to the council, Darryl – and unfortunately, for me its not possible to get to the industrial estate – nor was I given information on when it would arrive by post. At the school, I’d say about half the parents had been completely unable to even get through to the council to request a bus pass, anyway, because the lines were so busy.

    And this doesn’t excuse the fact that they have caused an immense amount of trouble for a lot of parents by their actions, nor does it help those parents who are going to struggle to get their kids to school whilst waiting for the new passes – what about those who don’t drive/have access to their own transport?

    I’d quite like a common sense explanation as to WHY the council have suddenly decided to implement this rule? What on earth has suddenly happened, after years and years of children not being required to have a bus pass, that could possibly explain why its so suddenly essential? The kids are in uniform, most are known to the drivers – it seems to be just a pointless jobsworth action, with no consideration given to those who are actually affected by it!

    #69101

    WrecsamGirl
    Participant

    I’m a former school escort with Wrexham Council and I can tell you that the transport department is an utter joke and I’m not at all surprised to hear about this. They are woefully incompetent and disorganised. I had so many issues with them, they would frequently “forget” go to pass important messages on to myself parents, schools and taxi drivers, you could never get hold them of in emergencies as they often just let the phone ring, I would leave messages that didn’t get passed on, staff would take days off and not delegate work the list is endless. Dealing with them is like banging your head against brick wall and that is why I left.

    #69078

    Sue McGrane
    Participant

    WrecsamGirl – I’d agree. several years ago, Wrexham council sent out letters to parents in Summerhill/Gwersyllt, during the school holidays, informing them that children over the age of I think 9 would now be expected to WALK to Plas Coch school! The person who’s name we were given, to contact with any ‘concerns’ was conveniently on annual leave, and it caused so much stress and misery and a lot of campaigning before the council backed down.

    They simply appear, in this department at least, to have absolutely NO consideration for the problems that silly decisions like this cause :(

    #69104

    lea14
    Participant

    my sister happened to call the transport office last week to check her daughters bus pass was valid and had to rush down there to arrange a bus pass for a new bus route as her daughters usual bus has now been cancelled…what a joke!! I believe this rule has now been implemented as some children in certain areas are now required to pay for there bus pass…so god forbid one of these children should arrive at school on a free bus without paying for it!!! utter joke anyone who votes for these idiots to be re-elected in the next local election needs there heads tested!!

    #69099

    BorrasBill
    Participant

    I can’t see what all the fuss is about. When my children went to Secondary School we were given a parents guide. (All year 6 pupils are given one). It says quite clearly that you must apply for a bus pass, which I did and they carry them every day. Admittedly they have not been asked for them, but I presume they had no problems today as I always make sure they carry them.

    It seems common-sense to me, you can’t just get on a bus without a pass or paying, it would be chaos. How would the driver know who and how many there should be on it?

    #69105

    lea14
    Participant

    @BorrasBill 14843 wrote:

    I can’t see what all the fuss is about. When my children went to Secondary School we were given a parents guide. (All year 6 pupils are given one). It says quite clearly that you must apply for a bus pass, which I did and they carry them every day. Admittedly they have not been asked for them, but I presume they had no problems today as I always make sure they carry them.

    It seems common-sense to me, you can’t just get on a bus without a pass or paying, it would be chaos. How would the driver know who and how many there should be on it?

    it hasn’t been chaos for all the previous years???? i don’t think anyone minds having a bus pass but the problem is in the lack of communication

    #69079

    Sue McGrane
    Participant

    @BorrasBill 14843 wrote:

    I can’t see what all the fuss is about. When my children went to Secondary School we were given a parents guide. (All year 6 pupils are given one). It says quite clearly that you must apply for a bus pass, which I did and they carry them every day. Admittedly they have not been asked for them, but I presume they had no problems today as I always make sure they carry them.

    It seems common-sense to me, you can’t just get on a bus without a pass or paying, it would be chaos. How would the driver know who and how many there should be on it?

    I had apply for access to school transport, and had a letter confirming that my kids were entitled. I have no recollection of any sort of pass? Very few of the parents at the school this morning did!

    I sort of think that the fact that the kids are in uniform would pretty much confirm that they are pupils at the school – and the drivers will have been informed how many are to be collected at each pick up point, and able to keep track of how many on their bus?

    No objection to my child carrying a pass if that is what is necessary – but being kept informed and being given the time to organise it BEFORE the child is refused entry on to the bus that they have always travelled on, should surely have been a matter of common sense for the council – or am I expecting too much of them?

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