School bus driver ‘abandoned’ pupils on road to avoid heavy traffic

Pupils going to Romsey School were told to get off the coach and walk from the town centre after their vehicle got stuck in congestion

A school bus driver “abandoned” a group of students on the roadside to avoid heavy traffic.
The 513 bus to Romsey School, near Southampton, became stuck in congestion on Tuesday morning after a lorry crashed into a railway bridge in Romsey.
Instead of taking the pupils to the secondary school, the driver, who has not been named, told them to get off the bus early, leaving them to walk to school from the town centre.
Among the students was a girl in Year 7, who asked to stay on the bus as she did not know the route to school. The girl, who suffers from anxiety, only managed to get to school after bumping into a friend, who called her parents.
Her mother, who asked for herself and her daughter not to be named, has called for the bus driver to be sacked.
She said: “The school and the bus service they are linked with, should have a safeguarding duty to the pupils – not abandon them in the street.
“My daughter was completely helpless and had no way of knowing how to get to school – that just is not good enough.
“It’s my view that the driver should be sacked and the Romsey School should find a new bus company.
“She has been completely scarred by the incident, and doesn’t want to get the bus to school again for fear she will be left in the street.”
Kura, the bus company, has apologised and said that the driver involved has received extra safeguarding training.
A spokesman said: “Kura, our coach partner, and the driver wish to express our sincere apologies for any distress caused by this incident.
“Safety is our number one priority, and we are committed to ensuring that all students feel supported on their journey to school.
“We will continue to work closely with the Romsey School and our coach operator partners to prevent such issues from recurring in the future.”
The company added that refresher training would be conducted for all coach drivers, and claimed it had contacted parents to address any concerns.
A spokesman for the school said: “We were made aware that an external bus transporting its pupils had dropped them in Romsey town centre, rather than delivering them safely to school.
“The school was able to action an appropriate and swift response plan, which included contacting parents/carers and ensuring that all pupils using that service were accounted for in school.”