A parent is demanding answers after saying his child was one of several Lodge School students put out of a Transport Board bus in the rain yesterday without good reason.
The parent, who requested anonymity, said it was the responsibility of the Transport Board to ensure the nation’s children got to school safely and he did not understand the logic behind putting the children out.
His daughter told the DAILY NATION that she was waiting at the bus stop in Six Roads, St Philip, as usual with a group of around 30 schoolmates when a bus, alternately showing both Grantley Adams Memorial and Lodge School destinations, drove up.
“I had caught this particular bus once before and it took us to school then, but this time, after passing the prison [Dodds], the driver pulled up at the bus stop at the bottom of the hill leading past District “C” Police Station and told us to get out as he was going to Grantley Adams.
“We told him the bus was marked for Lodge School too but he got upset and told us he didn’t care and to get out. It was raining and I didn’t have a coat and the bus stop didn’t have a shelter so we all stood there in the rain,” she said.
The student said some of the students managed to board a passing bus and a minibus but she and four of her friends were left behind. It was then that a friend of hers borrowed her phone to call her mother, who then came and picked them up and took them to school.
“We were very far from Lodge. My friends’ mum was very upset about it but at least we still got to school on time,” she said.
The student’s father was also very upset, calling the incident a breach of trust.
“I’m very annoyed and I’m sure the children and the parents are too. We trust the bus system to take our children safely to school and this negligence shows how uncaring and irresponsible some of these drivers are. This is a total disregard for the safety of these children,” he said.
The student took a picture of the bus ticket, dated yesterday, which shows she boarded the bus at 7:36 a.m. According to the ticket, the route is 124 and the bus number is 85.
The DAILY NATION attempted to get a comment from the Transport Board but to no avail. General manager Sandra Forde was in a meeting when the paper called and marketing and corporate communications manager Lynda Holder was on leave.
A supervisor referred the paper to the Mangrove depot as this area had jurisdiction over the route but a supervisor there said he did not know about the incident and advised that the NATION call the Fairchild Street terminal. However, as this was around 4:30 p.m., the NATION was informed that the complaints department was already closed for the day and the relevant supervisor was also gone for the day.
The Lodge School was also contacted on the matter. However, the school offered no official comment, only saying they had made the Transport Board aware of the matter and it was being investigated. (CA)
