School raises safeguarding concerns over overcrowded public buses

Twm Owen, Local Democracy Reporter

A deputy headteacher had to drive secondary school children home herself when they couldn’t board a bus that was at capacity. 

Multiple complaints have already been made over children having to rely on public bus services to get to and from school, with a lack of space often meaning passengers, including school pupils, are denied permission to board at Chepstow bus station. 

Other complaints have included safety on buses, adult passengers using drink and drugs, pupils being forced to stand due to a lack of seats, and the punctuality of the service often seeing children arrive late for school. 

Monmouthshire County Council has said it wants to provide an additional X74 service, from Chepstow to Newport in the afternoon which could be running within weeks, while changes to morning services could also be made while it has promised to monitor passenger numbers. 

The council has also agreed to hold a transport review with Chepstow Comprehensive School on five key points it wants considered. 

A special council meeting was held to allow councillors to ask questions about transport arrangements for pupils which also heard from parents, and pupils, about their experiences. 

Most of the complaints related to transport, on public service buses to Chepstow Comprehensive, but the meeting also heard concern at alleged overcrowding on the number 60 bus from Usk to Monmouth. 

Lisa Lane, deputy headteacher at Chepstow School, said the staff are regularly dealing with complaints about the X74 Newport Bus Service, which serves Magor and Caldicot. 

She said: “It is having a direct impact on pupil wellbeing, safeguarding and also education.” 

The meeting heard the introduction of a £1 bus fare for people aged 21 and under in Wales has led to an increase in passengers and as a result the council has moved pupils it provides free bus passes to from public services buses to dedicated home to school transport it provides. 

Pupils continuing to travel on public buses are those who don’t qualify for free transport including because they live outside the school catchment area. 

Ms Lane said 67 Chepstow pupils had transferred from the X74 and number 69 bus and said: “The fact 67 pupils needed to be removed demonstrates there is overcrowding.” 

She said overcrowding remains a concern for the school and said this week a child was sick on a bus due to anxiety with pupils also concerned they cannot get the on the bus leaving Chepstow bus station in the afternoon as drivers cannot allow passengers to board when their vehicle has reached capacity. 

“The school spends considerable time managing transport issues and on occasions arranging alternative transport,” said Ms Lane: “I personally have driven pupils home in the school minibus but that is not sustainable. 

“It diverts staff and resources away from the core purpose of education.” 

She said the school wants a review of capacity and a date for information to be assessed and for the council to set out a safeguarding protocol with clear responsibilities of the council, transport operators, schools and the police. 

Parent Caroline Graham complained about the reliability of the 73 bus which pupils from Mathern have had to use after the council reduced the qualifying distance for free home to school transport, and said it suffers from the same overcrowding issues. 

She added as the village isn’t on the regular route sometimes drivers forget to pull in: “The driver then has to u-turn with a bus full of standing school children”. 

She also said passengers have used drink or drugs and when adults have been unable to sit have demanded children give up their seats. 

The walking route was described as “not safe” by Ms Graham who said: “When the recent tragic accident happened on the A48 children were expected to walk through the lanes and thankfully the school went out to rescue them.” 

Debra Hill-Howells, the council’s chief infrastructure officer, confirmed there has been an increase in paying passengers due to the £1 bus fair and said the council had also commissioned an additional X74 service in the morning to deal with anticipated increased demand. 

It was hoped one service would be used by pupils travelling to Caldicot, and the other to Chepstow, but it would now work with operator Newport Bus to reduce the gap between the two services so each is as attractive to passengers. 

It is also seeking permission from the Transport Commissioner to run an additional service at 4.05pm, from Chepstow Bus Station, which could be in place as soon as Monday, November 16. 

On incidents where children have felt threatened or unsafe Ms Hill-Howells said if pupils are unable to let the bus driver know they should report to their school or parent so checks of CCTV cameras can be made. 

Council officers will ride the highlighted services to record passenger numbers and check punctuality and Ms Hill-Howells said there is an “issue with learners choosing to stand but I take on board there are still issues around that.” 

The council will also set up a dedicated email address for its passenger transport unit so emails are dealt with by its team rather than an individual officer.