Ysgol y Bedol

Ysgol y Bedol school transport

A BUS service for schoolchildren of Ysgol y Bedol has been withdrawn by the operator due to it not being financially viable.
The service stopped earlier this year as very few children were using it, only averaging between two to eight pupils per day.
It was provided by Davies Coaches for fare paying passengers and was provided commercially, not financed by the county council.
The operator had a contract for a 16 seat vehicle to provide transport for those who were eligible for free transport, and was allowed to use a larger vehicle at their own cost in order to facilitate a commercial bus service for those pupils not eligible for free transport.
At the moment, only four pupils who attend Ysgol y Bedol have free transport, which is awarded when children live outside the two mile walking distance radius. A taxi is provided for those four pupils.
Following representations from parents, the county council approached local bus companies to ask if they would consider reinstating the service. However, to date no interest has been shown by any operators in taking over the route.
The walking route to Ysgol y Bedol has been assessed in accordance with Welsh Government criteria for safe routes to schools. Primary schoolchildren would also usually be expected to be accompanied to school.
Carmarthenshire’s executive board member for transport Cllr Hazel Evans said that children under the age of 11 would not be expected to walk more than two miles to school, and as part of the council’s active travel plan families are encouraged to walk wherever possible.
Cllr Evans said: “We cannot force a bus company to operate a particular route or service. In this case, it was simply not commercially viable for them to continue.
“We are continuing to ask local operators if they could take this route on, but to date there has been no interest.
“There is no easy answer to this, and if we could we would provide transport for every child in Carmarthenshire, but that is just not possible.
“However it is important to stress that no pupils qualify for free transport – apart from the four who are provided with a taxi – the walking routes to school are safe, and it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children get to and from school.”