Maesydre bus route won’t be reinstated

 

Powys County Council has reviewed all of its routes in a bid to cut costs, and while an hourly stop will now be made at Tesco, the town route will not pass by the Primary School at home time.

 

Parents contacted mywelshpool after a shambolic start to the new term last month but the feedback from Powys is bad news.

 

A spokesperson for Powys County Council said: “Changes to local bus services were implemented after we reviewed them in response to budget reductions.

“Although the changes will be inconvenient for a small number of users, we are operating in difficult financial times and we would prefer to amend a route to make savings and make the service more efficient rather than having to cut it completely.

“The Welshpool Town Bus Service has been subject of a competitive tendering process.  Although the service has not changed too much, it no longer stops at Ysgol Maesydre but goes into Tesco every hour.

“This service is a public service and not school transport so pupils who used it were fare paying passengers.  Pupils who live within two miles of their nearest school are not entitled to free school transport so it is responsibility of the parent to make arrangements to get their child to and from school.

“If a parent has a specific reason where they are unable to get their child to school then they should inform the council’s education department. Unless a commercial bus operator wishes to replace this service, we have no plans to reinstate it.”

 

But parents say the decision has caused them major problems.

 

Kate Hardy said: “My 9 year-old son informed me that the bus is no longer running. Living up at Borfa Green, it is a long way for a child to walk home. Obviously kids living at Gungrog Hill will have further to go. I understand that the bus is not an essential, but due to ill health I have no other way of getting my child home and relied on this service like a lot of other parents.”

 

Rachel Bowen added that the bus had been running since she was school. “Working parents rely on the school bus, now it has stopped running it is a real pain trying to re-arrange collection for my children,” she said.

 

And Victoria Greatorex added: “It’s disgraceful that the school bus has stopped and parents weren't even notified. Parents rely on it.”