Parents fear Falkirk's school bus problems may be more widespread

After receiving an e-mail from Westquarter Primary School last week, parents became concerned the local authority’s approach to the issue of overcrowding on the school bus would upset their children and even likened the supposed solution to the situation to the bloodthirsty competitiveness of the fictional Hunger Games.

The row started after the local authority’s public transport officer reportedly contacted the Westquarter Avenue school and stated priority would be given to those pupils who are entitled to free bus travel and if children are unable to get on the bus for the journey home, parents would be contacted.

One parent, who did not want to be named, said: “Their solution is bus spaces will be allocated on a ‘first come first served basis’. We are appalled by this Hunger

Games approach these young children are expected to take all because a second school bus won't be put on the route.

“This first come first served approach is utterly disgusting. Young children will be confused and upset if they are turned away from a bus they have gotten home from school most days, all because they never made it out of class quick enough."

Another parent stated: “Kids are pushing to get on and this week one parent got a call to say his daughter had been taken off the bus as there were no seats, but his younger child was left on. So they were supposed to pick up both in two different places.”

Falkirk Council stated it was monitoring the situation, but now other parents have come forward to say the problem is not just happening at Westquarter Primary.

A parent said: “My daughter goes to Graeme High School and has a distance pass. The bus from Canalside Drive, in the same area as the Westquarter bus, has been overcrowded for weeks, with kids standing in the aisles.

"The school has also now started taking non-distance entitled children off and leaving them at the school. As it is also first come first served all the wee first years are

getting left as the bigger kids push in front.

"There is no safe route for our children to walk as the council refuse to put on crossing patrollers to take the kids across the road at the industrial estate, and Jarvie Road. Congestion around Westquarter at drop off and pick up is also a nightmare, with residents in nearby roads quite rightly complaining about the chaos.”

Responding to the issue at Westquarter Primary School, a Falkirk Council spokesperson said: “We have been made aware in the last few days the bus to Westquarter Primary School is over capacity and we apologise to parents whose children haven’t been able to get on the bus.

“School buses are primarily for use by pupils who are distance entitled and as such are given priority when boarding the bus. Fare payers and under 22 concessionary pass holders can only travel if there are spare seats and capacity will vary from day to day.

“We will continue to monitor the situation.”