MLA urges EA to address 'unreliability' of school transport from Castlederg to Strabane

A WEST Tyrone MLA called on the Education Authority (EA) investigate what he says is the "recurring unreliability" of school transport for students travelling from Castlederg to school in Strabane.

Sinn Féin's Maolíosa McHugh said pupils who utilise the bus service to Holy Cross College were "left stranded" earlier this month when the school bus failed to attend.

Acoording to the local MLA, it's not the first time pupils have been left without transport.

As well as lodging a complaint with the EA, Mr McHugh has also tabled a number of written questions on the matter with Education Minister, Paul Givan.

Speaking of the December 1 incident, the West Tyrone MLA said: "I have been contacted by a distressed parent whose child, along with others, was left stranded due to the absence of the EA bus driver with no cover provided.

"Neither was any communication with the parents affected provided.

"This has been a recurring problem which has caused significant anxiety, inconvenience and disruption to students and their families."

He said the situation was "particularly upsetting" for students due to sit important GCSE modules.

"To subject young people to this additional distress and potential jeopardy to their academic performance on such a day is utterly unacceptable," he added.

"This pattern of service failure must end immediately."

Mr McHugh says he has urged the EA's Transport Division to conduct a number of steps as part of an investigation into the issue.

He explained: "One; Conduct an urgent review of the cover arrangements for all EA-operated home-to-school transport, with immediate effect, to ensure a robust and fail-safe system is in place for the Castlederg to Holy Cross College route.

"Two; Implement a guaranteed contingency plan for this route, communicated clearly to parents and schools, that is activated automatically in the event of driver absence.

"This could involve a dedicated pool of relief drivers, a formal agreement with one of the local private operators as a first-resort backup, or the temporary use of a taxi service to ensure no child is left stranded.

"Three; Establish a proactive communication protocol to directly inform parents (via text message or another rapid method) at the earliest opportunity when a disruption to the service is known.

"This basic courtesy would allow families to make alternative arrangements and reduce the anxiety caused by uncertainty.

"Four; Provide direct communication to the affected families, via the school or otherwise, apologising for the repeated disruption and outlining the concrete steps being taken to prevent a recurrence."

He added: "The students and parents relying on this service deserve a dependable and professional standard of care.

"I have requested a prompt investigation into today's failure and a detailed written response outlining the actions the EA will take to resolve this matter permanently."

The EA was contacted for a response.

A spokesperson said: "We can confirm this service did not operate on Monday, December 1, due to driver illness. It was back in operation the following day.

"Regrettably, all cover options in the area were already in use when we were informed of the situation late on Sunday evening.

"We run 640 school buses for 21,000 pupils every school day.

"Unfortunately, there will be unavoidable disruption on occasion caused by issues such as unplanned and late notice sick leave or severe weather conditions.

"Our staff work very hard to minimise such disruptions and very much understand the frustration experienced when they happen."