I have today called on the City Council to look urgently about ways of filling the gaps caused by the loss of the 4S school bus. The school bus was axed by National Express Dundee at the start of the new term, leaving pupils with no direct bus from the West End to the school and in many cases a long walk of over 40 minutes to get to school.
I have spoken again to National Express Dundee at the end of last week and – despite earlier hopes - it is now clear that the bus company is not going to re-route other services to fill the gap. Given this, the City Council must now act fast – before the winter bad weather and dark mornings and late afternoons come in – to provide a proper means of transport for the 40+ children directly affected.
It is very clear that the so-called "alternative" bus services simply do not work in terms of getting pupils to school on time and the return journey is meaning pupils getting back very late - as late as 5.15pm. Some pupils have been forced to give up after-school sports as they simply can’t get to them in time. In the mornings, pupils are often getting to school late as the convoluted bus arrangements simply do not get them to school on time.
It is completely unacceptable that pupils living in the St John's catchment area have such difficulty getting to and from school.
This matter must be resolved properly - and soon – and it is about time the City Council took action. I do think the City Council should be considering how best to either provide some form of tendered bus service or look imaginatively at other solutions. For example, the City Council is in ownership of a fleet of mini-buses, some of which are not in use at the start and end of the school day. Use of such a resource should be considered. What is not acceptable is a “do nothing” option. This matter must be resolved properly as quickly as possible.