Minutes

Councillor Kellaway asked:

Several times already this term buses have been late or at least on one occasion not showing up at all ,going from Underwood to Llanwern high as a result of the policy of this council to remove the subsidised dedicated school transport, forcing parents to use the public transport system in spite of Underwood’s remote nature.

This has led to children being marked absent from school (as some parents could not afford a taxi ,or drive themselves) or marked late potentially leading to detention for the pupils affected ,can the cabinet member confirm what actions has she taken to ensure proper reliable transport is available to pupils and what discussions she may have had with schools to ensure that pupils are not punished because of a inadequate transport provision .

Cabinet Member for Streetscene responded:

The contracted transport provision operating in the 2016/17 academic year was a 25 seater bus, transporting 24 pupils.  In September 2017, the number of pupils requesting transport increased significantly.  As a result the service moved to a season ticket transport provision, operated via the existing commercial service.  This approach is consistent with many schools across the city, and the Council has purchased 45 season tickets from Newport Transport to facilitate pupil transport on this route.

There are many reasons why public transportation can experience delays and Newport Transport have been contacted for comment.

The issues you raise with regard to lateness is a matter for the head teacher’s consideration, but I will ask officers to discuss this with the school.