Bristol pupils stranded on first day of school
Children in Bristol were left waiting for buses that would never arrive after a communication breakdown between their school and their bus company.
First Bus axed three of the four buses that serve Brislington Enterprise College, and sent out a letter informing the school of the changes at the end of July.
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However, the letter was dated one week after the school broke up for the summer holidays.
The school says that because of the summer break no one in the building picked up the post until the school went back on Monday, so the first staff knew there was a problem was when the buses didn't arrive that morning.
This left children expecting to catch the 57A, the 435 or the 436 stranded outside the school, with anxious parents waiting for them at the other end.
First says it has cut the services, which were not subsidised by Bristol City Council, because they were not well used enough. Gary Webber, of Stockwood, has an 11-year-old daughter at the school and is one of a number of relatives who have contacted the Bristol Evening Post with their concerns.
He said: "Parents are now in disarray as to how best to get their children to school.
"The altered route will mean a half a mile walk across the busy West Town Lane and through Hungerford Road to get to the School.
"This was a problem we never thought we would have to present our daughter with and would have affected our decision to send her to Brislington.
"We have contacted First Bus but no one knew that it had a route change for sure. Even worse, the school had not been informed and no one knew there either."
One Stockwood woman told the Evening Post she was appalled her 11-year-old grandson was put in that situation on his first day of school.
The grandmother, who did not wish to be named, said: "Monday was the first day of school for more than 200 new children, but the school bus didn't turn up.
"My grandson was handed over to two strangers to walk him home two miles from Brislington to Stockwood.
"My daughter waited over an hour for them at the bus stop.
"In this day and age, it's absolutely appalling. They are jeopardising children's safety."
A spokesman for the school said admin staff had not opened the letter because it arrived after the school broke up for the summer. Brislington principal John Matthews is hoping to meet with First to discuss the matter.
He said: "I understand the parents have concerns, particularly for the new students, aged 11 and 12."
The bus company has apologised for the mix-up, and stressed there are alternative buses available.
First spokeswoman Karen Baxter said: "We would like to offer our sincere apologies to the school, its students and their families for any inconvenience they have experienced following the changes to bus services in the area.
"Moving forward, service 36, which runs between the centre and Withywood via Barton Hill, Brislington and Knowle, should serve as a good replacement for those who would have previously used service 435 and 436.
"This operates every 20 minutes. Alternatively for customers who previously used Service 57a, they can now catch a combination of service 54 and service 36, changing in Sturminster Road."
12 Comments
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by Hal, Bristol
Friday, September 11 2009, 8:01AM
“It never fails to amaze me that a community resource like a school completely closes down for 6 weeks in the summer without even anyone to open the mail and answer the phones. But they al;l do. What a waste of our money!”
by londoner, in the west
Thursday, September 10 2009, 8:50PM
“It's everybody's fault. First should have also emailed the information to a school contact. When I asked them once to email me a season ticket form, they said they didn't have the technology. That answer came from Plymouth, further west than Bristol, so possibly more backward.
The school, knowing bus changes were likely, should have contacted the operator.
To say children waiting half an hour at a bus stop are in jeopardy is pure nonsense. My children walked 6km to school. The younger one still does. It involves crossing a dual carriageway and several busy roads. They sometimes take buses, but services are so appallingly poor in the west that it is often quicker to walk.
If you want to buses to work, you have to be in London. Even the most deprived areas of the capital have better bus services than Bristol. Ironically, First in London run some of these.”
by In the know, Bristol
Thursday, September 10 2009, 5:06PM
“Most schools employ part time admin people in the offices. This means they have most of or all of the holidays off. This is because a. the schools will not fund full time or b. the money and hours attracts people with children of their own, who they look after in the holidays.
Secondary schools generally have people in all over the holidays but only a limited number. People are entitled to annual leave.”
by John, Bristol
Thursday, September 10 2009, 4:50PM
“This is an interesting story.
Every time the issue of school holidays and how much time teachers get off comes up there is usually a queue of people connected with schools all telling us that the staff are in most of the holidays only usually taking 2 weeks off for a personal holiday etc.
The rest of the time they are cleaning up after the old term and preparing for the new term. So preparing for the new term does not include opening the post it would seem ?”
by Take the hint!, Bristol
Thursday, September 10 2009, 2:36PM
“To say that the post was left sitting on the door mat all summer, is a little hard to believe (not that I'm into calling anyone liars!?). I know for a fact that members of staff go in and look at post during the holidays, so that's no excuse!!
Maybe it's a hint from somewhere not to send your kids to this dreadful place anyway, not if you want them to actually get any exams that is!”
by Chris, Bristle
Thursday, September 10 2009, 12:34PM
“I see that BEP is too tight to take me up on my offer of a photo to use on EVERY school related story. Instead they insist on using a still from To Sir With Love or is it Please Sir?”
by Chris, Bristle
Thursday, September 10 2009, 12:32PM
“2 spaces was for monoblock typewriters. So no longer necessary.”
by James, Bristol
Thursday, September 10 2009, 11:43AM
“@ Vic
I apologise! I entered two spaces but the BEP reduced it to one automatically.”
by James, Bristol
Thursday, September 10 2009, 11:41AM
“@ Vic.
"...the effort. Were you absent..."
Were you absent as well, Vic? I was always taught the need for two spaces between the end of a sentence and the start of a new sentence.”
by Vic, Bristol
Thursday, September 10 2009, 10:08AM
“@anon
"i walked to school every morning 2 miles or more didn`t do me any harm"
It appears you may have walked to school every morning, but it doesn't look like it was worth the effort. Were you absent on the day that English was taught?”