Students in the Glasshouse Country area left for over an hour, parents left in dark
By Kirra Livingstone
GLASSHOUSE Country Coaches have had two instances in the last two weeks, of buses picking students up more than an hour late, and flawed communication with parents.
On Wednesday, April 30, bus 915 failed to turn up at the stops on time.
The Wednesday before, April 23, the 902 bus from Glass House Mountains, to Beerwah, Landsborough and finally Maleny, was an hour late in picking kids up.
This caused parents to be concerned for their children’s safety, and distressed many kids who were waiting for the bus.
Parent of an 11-year-old Maleny State School student, Jana Johnson, said they have used the service for three years, but this year is the first time they’ve had numerous issues.
Ms Johnson said it was extremely stressful for herself and her daughter.
“It made me feel frightened, I guess we did have a lot of trust in them the last few years, they’ve been absolutely fantastic,” she said.
“But this year we have had to reevaluate it, and a lot of parents are feeling this way and feel they can’t leave until they know the bus has arrived.
“My daughter definitely does not want me to leave her there by herself at all now, under any circumstances.”
She added that she received an email from Maroochydore Translink, stating the bus driver didn’t turn up for their shift.
Ms Johnson said she couldn’t understand why the bus company is not open earlier to ensure appropriate communication with parents if delays occur on the morning bus routes.
“My concern is that we cannot contact the company, they’re not open until 8.30am,” she said.
“Why isn’t someone at the office overseeing the buses are leaving on time, there’s got to be someone there making sure everything is running smoothly.
“It’s also concerning that, we drove around to most of the stops to check on the kids, but we are in the vicinity of where the Daniel Morcombe incident happened, so that’s on parents’ minds.”
Ms Johnson said she will stick with using Glasshouse Country Coaches’ services for now, but if the problems persist she will have to consider other options.
Glasshouse Country Coaches have confirmed they are always on hand working behind the scenes before their office opens at 8.30am.
The company told GC&M News that parents are notified by email as soon as any issues occur with a bus route, regardless of the time.
However, ongoing problems with the local Telstra tower are causing delays in the delivery of these automated emails.
