Bright Buses (for schools)

[RazorSHarp 10]

Does anybodys children use Bright Bus to get to their school?

 

If so does the bus arrive and depart on time or sometimes not turn up at all?

 

How regular is your child late for school as a result of this transport ?

[maxofe 10]

Does anybodys children use Bright Bus to get to their school?

 

If so does the bus arrive and depart on time or sometimes not turn up at all?

 

How regular is your child late for school as a result of this transport ?

hi there,

 

my daughter gets the school bus (mass) i presume its the same company.

 

the only morning i didnt check (yesterday) they were very late, but aparently there was info on the school website to let parents know!

 

i was once informed by text that the bus would be late (but it wasnt, lol)

 

apart from that there isnt usually a problem, infact the only things that seem to affect the service is snow/ice.

 

which school/area are you?

 

max

[Kat326 10]

Monday morning we never saw the bus at Oughtibridge - my kids are lucky in that I as currently off work they are able to sit on the window sill until they see him coming around the bends becuase the traffic is soooooo slow moving. It turned out (after a call to the school at 9.45) that they all had a problem with frozen pipes? I knew the bus was going to be 1 hour late yesterday as the school had posted this on their website Monday PM and it was exactly. Today he was only 5 minutes late not bad to say he is coming in from Stocksbridge and the traffic is horrendous on Middlewood Road North at the moment. Usually the buses are on time but the traffic at the moment is a bit exceptional.

[beansforyou 10]

Bradfield Bus - Pick up point Wharncliffe Side.

 

Not usually any problem at all, however over the last few days, due to the gaurantees given by school on the website all the children there were left standing out in -5 temp for over an hour.

This message was later revised, however it was far too late, and stated the bus would be 2 hours late.

Many parents (myself included) had by this time gone to work, and had to lose another days pay and make it back in order to get their children.

 

Since then I've not had to try and get the bus as my child has been off with a fever and illness, but i've kept up to date with the messages Bradfield have been posting on the website, Tuesday was chaos, and it looks like they are just asking everyone to complain to the bus companies invloved.

 

Yes I think the bus companies could probably have better communication with both the schools and even a website with updated messages wouldn't be too much effort nowadays, the only info i've seen has been on Travel South Yorkshire website, and that has been different to what the school has been told.

 

Mainly I don't think the schools should be giving out statements such as 'They will Definately be there!' - and then saying 'they have no responsibility' - when they are wrong, I certainly wouldn't have left my child had there not been such reassurance.

 

I do understand however that the last few weeks have been exceptional circumstances, but the children should not be the ones to pay for those in charge lack of organisation.

[RazorSHarp 10]

It is the Bradfield buses that I am currently concerened about. I have called the company that runs the buses this week only to be told by a lady there that they are going to "speak to their drivers" but she doesn't seemed concerned that they are leaving kids un collected from their stops.

 

I was told that the bus comes from Aston ? and leaves in plenty of time to get to the pick up points ? I beg to differ !

 

I now have a number to escalate the issue to.

[jiginc 10]

It is the Bradfield buses that I am currently concerened about. I have called the company that runs the buses this week only to be told by a lady there that they are going to "speak to their drivers" but she doesn't seemed concerned that they are leaving kids un collected from their stops.

 

I was told that the bus comes from Aston ? and leaves in plenty of time to get to the pick up points ? I beg to differ !

 

I now have a number to escalate the issue to.

 

The buses are based in Dinnington so with the A57 problems I am amazed they came at all.

[dosxuk 10]

For my high school in Norfolk, we used to have a company called "First" for our school buses. It was, without fail, never on time. We used to get to school a minimum of 10 minutes late after the beginning of school every day, resulting in everyone on our bus having to appeal the number of late attendances we were all marked down by. This was completely caused by the scheduling of the route (which used to do two runs for different schools as part of the same route), we were convinced they must have calculated the timings by driving in a car, and not stopping at the stops, (some of which would have 20 kids get on, all supposed to have bus passes ready, never did).

 

They also used to have fun by sending us a single decker bus (we would only fit by having people sat on the dashboard) and on odd occaisions by sending a mini bus - by the time it got to my village it was that full it didn't bother stopping. Apparently, according to First, it was better to send a minibus than to wait until a larger bus was available, despite it meaning lots of children having to walk up to half a mile to get home to then rearrange their own transport to get to school.

 

My first year of high school we had a private coach laid on by the council, which was nearly always on time and virtually run by the same driver each day (so when someone forgot a bus pass it was fine). However First decided they could make enough money out of the subsidy to run it as a service coach to make a profit out of it, and actually providing a reliable school bus wasn't a concern to them.

 

My favourite trip was going home one day when the bus driver refused to stop the bus until the kids stopped ringing the stop bell (which had been pressed about three times before the stop), resulting in the bus being chased by angry parents in cars and eventually stopping about two and a half miles later when one of the cars pulled in front and forced it to stop.

[RazorSHarp 10]

The buses are based in Dinnington so with the A57 problems I am amazed they came at all.

 

There are more roads than the A57 for them to use. They have a duty of care to the kids they collect each day. It should be a case that if they know a route is blocked they should set off earlier and use alternative routes !

[Kat326 10]

"There are more roads than the A57 for them to use. They have a duty of care to the kids they collect each day. It should be a case that if they know a route is blocked they should set off earlier and use alternative routes ! "

 

Mmm sorry - disagree - the drivers are doing their jobs and a good job at that - the driver from Stocksbridge to Notre Dame is brilliant. He will certainly be getting a Christmas card off me this year.

[Skippy06 10]

I am making an assumption here from what has been posted bu other users for different issues (wisewood school closure a figure of £250k per year was mentioned) but do the bus companies not receive a subsidy from Sheffield Council to get these kids to school.

 

If the company is receiving money to deliver a service then they should make every effort to do this or the council should hold money back for poor service.

 

Also it makes no difference where the buses come from the bus company should account for traffic road accidents closures etc.

[RazorSHarp 10]

Mmm sorry - disagree - the drivers are doing their jobs and a good job at that - the driver from Stocksbridge to Notre Dame is brilliant. He will certainly be getting a Christmas card off me this year.

 

No they are not "doing their jobs" because they are not turning up on time to "do their jobs" - they still have a duty of care to the children and the LEA or who ever the contract off.

 

So wether you agree or not, they are not doing what they are employed to do so !

[irenewilde 10]

The drivers are completely insane. They drive up on pavements rather than take a corner correctly and just a couple of days ago, one of them drove headlong at a line of traffic coming in the opposite direction, even though it was our right of way and sat there blowing his horn until we all had to reverse down a narrow road and into the heaped snow at the side so he could get past.