Stagecoach faces backlash as parents rally to save crucial School Bus Service as families express concerns over the imminent termination of vital transportation for North Lakes School students
Stagecoach's recent decision to discontinue its public bus service, which aids approximately 50 pupils daily in commuting to and from North Lakes School and Brunswick School, has sparked outrage among parents and the local community. With the service termination scheduled for September, families are expressing their deep concerns about the significant impact this will have on their daily lives and the overall well-being of their children.
Parents who rely heavily on the bus service have highlighted the essential role it plays in ensuring their children arrive at school on time while allowing them to meet their work commitments and manage other obligations. The bus service has been a lifeline for many, facilitating safe and efficient transportation for students, and its removal threatens to disrupt their daily routines.
Stagecoach's decision is particularly disconcerting given the company's ongoing efforts to promote public transport usage through its £2 fare offer. The contradiction of promoting increased usage while stripping away crucial services from a school community in desperate need of reliable transportation has raised eyebrows and fuelled frustration among parents.
Marie Gates, a concerned parent, emphasized the personal impact of the bus service termination on her family, stating, "I rely on the school bus to enable me to get to work on time. Without the school bus, I would have to use breakfast club and after-school club, but this will have a big cost impact and still not allow me to work my full hours. It would be roughly £80 extra a month, which is a significant amount when all other costs are rising."
The termination of the bus service could have far-reaching implications for parents' job security and the local economy. The added pressure of finding alternative transportation solutions might force some parents to consider removing their children from North Lakes School altogether, potentially impacting the school's long-term viability, as future student intakes are already projected to decrease.
Emma Scantlebury, another affected parent, expressed concerns about the wider consequences, including increased traffic congestion and parking issues around North Lakes School during peak drop-off and pick-up times. The loss of the bus service could result in more vehicles on the road, further burdening local residents and exacerbating Penrith's existing traffic problems.
In response to the growing outcry, Emma, who is also a school Governor, has launched a petition to save the school bus, which has garnered local support. The petition aims to highlight the vital role the bus service plays in the lives of families and the detrimental effects its discontinuation would have on the community as a whole.
David Rich, Head of Commercial at Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, provided an official statement to Penrith Town, explaining the decision: "Service 2 is a commercial bus service operated by Stagecoach in Penrith. Unfortunately, we had to inform North Lakes School at the start of May that we plan to withdraw the service at the end of the academic year."
"The background to this situation is that there will be changes to the way we use our vehicles in Penrith this Autumn due to revised school contracts that we will be operating on behalf of Westmorland & Furness Council. There are also changes to our Winter Lakes timetable to improve the reliability of our services."
"These changes mean the vehicle we currently use for Service 2 would not be available, and we would therefore need an extra vehicle in our fleet to operate service 2, incurring substantial additional fixed costs. Unfortunately, the revenue which Service 2 generates would not be able to cover these costs. We have informed the school of the level of funding required to continue to operate the service and could continue to operate the service if this funding could be found."
With the termination of the school bus service looming, parents are urging Stagecoach and local authorities to explore all possible avenues to secure the necessary funding and maintain this vital transportation lifeline for North Lakes School students.
Westmorland and Furness Council guidance on Home to School Transport explains that parents and carers of children aged 5 to 16 years are responsible for ensuring their children attend school, including making arrangements for them to travel to and from school. The council has a duty under the Education Act to provide home-to-school transport for children meeting specific criteria.
The council's criteria state that if a child lives further away than the statutory walking distance from their catchment or nearest qualifying school, or falls within the "low income group," transport arrangements are the council's responsibility to provide free transport for children up to age 16. The statutory walking distance is 2 miles for children aged under eight and 3 miles for children aged eight or over. Parents have expressed concern around the speed of traffic around Penrith along with the distances they may travel of just under the 2-mile threshold, meaning routes are not safe and would require parents to walk their children to school. Some parents also face the issue of needing to be at two schools at the same time and also at work. The current bus service has a school staff member onboard traveling with the children, providing a safe journey to school and offering the children a degree of independence-building experience.
As the last bus approaches, parents remain hopeful that their collective voice, expressed through the petition and local support, will lead to a reconsideration of Stagecoach's decision and a resolution that ensures the continued safety and accessibility of transportation for their children.
To support the campaign to save the Penrith Town School Bus service, you can sign the petition online at https://goto.penrith.town/save-our-school-bus
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