By Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
Parents are banding together to protest the ceasing of a local school bus service, calling on the State Government to provide funding to ensure the service continues.<\/p>\n
Annette Stone, Jess Wall, and Pete Smith are among at least a dozen families in the Dales Creek and Greendale area affected by the removal of the local Christians Bus Co service, which they say they were told was \u201cto accommodate children in Bacchus Marsh, as they have too many children needing the bus service there\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms Stone said the company told her they had been advised by the Director of Regional Public Transport on 15 December they could end the service, but didn\u2019t relay this to parents until 18 December, 10 days after most of the schools they take the children to had already closed for the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means that parents are unable to source any alternatives. Parents who work are now faced with an issue, as the children cannot walk home from the central stop in Myrniong \u2013 it is 13 kilometres to Dales Creek from there,\u201d she told the Moorabool News. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have all obviously complained to Christians with little to no empathy. Their response was: \u2018Our Bus 4 route is now 100 per cent locked-in and approved by the Department of Transport and Planning with the adjustment in 2024 (with the removal of the section of route between Dales Creek and Myrniong). Any parent not wishing to continue with us has alternative bus services from Ballan, so we understand if you do not wish to keep your registration with us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The service cost between $800 to $1000 a year per child according to Ms Wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cKids were finally getting back to school after COVID, and now here\u2019s another barrier. My husband and I both work full-time, and our kids can\u2019t catch public transport to get home.\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mr Smith said it was a tough pill to swallow, especially in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very disappointing for regional folks. The position I take is, Christians is just pushing the cost on regional folks. We\u2019re the ones now who have to re-arrange schedules to get our kids to a bus stop that\u2019s 10 to 15 kilometres away\u2026I know a lot of families where both parents are working or they\u2019re single families. I think it\u2019s created a lot of anxiety and cost burden,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are already struggling, and now we can\u2019t rely on a service they\u2019ve been providing for years. I don\u2019t know how they do their numbers and what funding they get from the government, but there\u2019s more than a dozen families I\u2019d say, that are affected by this.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) said the route was privately operated, and the Department had been notified late last year of the planned alteration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Blackwood to Ballarat service is a privately operated bus route conceived and run by Christians Bus Company which the bus operator self-funds directly through ticket sales – as the service is not part of the Victorian School Bus Program, the bus operator is responsible for the operation of the service including notifying customers of any service changes,\u201d the DTP spokesperson said. <\/p>\n
\u201cOperators must inform customers of any service changes as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The DTP provides subsidised school bus services from Dales Creek to Ballan and Bacchus Marsh, but as the students travelling to Ballarat for school are \u201cbypassing their nearest schools\u201d, the Christians Ballarat service isn\u2019t funded and is not part of the DTP\u2019s School Bus Program.<\/p>\n
The DTP suggests that families using chartered bus services may be eligible for the distance-based based Conveyance Allowance to offset private transport costs.<\/p>\n
Christians Bus Co was contacted for comment, but did not respond by the Moorabool News\u2019 deadline. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lachlan Ellis Parents are banding together to protest the ceasing of a local school bus service, calling on the State Government to provide funding to ensure the service continues. Annette Stone, Jess Wall, and Pete Smith are among at least a dozen families in the Dales Creek and Greendale area affected by the removal […]<\/p>\n