Tracey Keeler said she was desperate for her son Jaydyn to catch a bus. Last year he missed some school when she was unable to take him.
‘We live in Peaceful Waters Drive and my son goes to school in South Yunderup,’ she said.
‘I have been in contact with the school bus services for the past 12 months and am still told today that he cannot access the bus system.
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READ NOW‘A recent letter from school bus services says he is not eligible as we reside in Transperth Public Transport zone (although other school buses collect from the end of our street).
‘So I have been in contact with Transperth and they say they have no intention of starting a bus route near us as the area is not populated enough. Transperth says it is up to school bus services to provide transport for my son.’
Mrs Keeler asked if a bus, that took students to Pinjarra, could pick up Jaydyn and drop him off at Austin Cove on the way. ‘I was told no as they have a schedule,’ she said.
‘I suggested that the schedule be altered to accommodate his needs, and possibly then pick up other students.
‘I was told it was not possible to alter the bus route and besides, that bus was totally full and couldn’t fit anyone else on.’
Mrs Keelor said the whole experience had been very frustrating. ‘It just seems there is no flexibility to accommodate students in different situations,’ she said.
Public Transport Authority media manager Claire Krol said to be eligible for transport assistance, a rural student attending a mainstream school must, under normal circumstances: be enrolled at their nearest appropriate school, be of school age, regularly attend school, live more than 4.5km from their school and reside outside a designated Public Transport Area (PTA).
Students living within these boundaries are not eligible to travel on an orange school bus because they have access to scheduled regional town bus services. Instead, they can travel to and from school on the town bus services for the heavily-discounted 50c student fare.
‘The passenger to which you refer resides inside the PTA and therefore is not eligible to access the School Bus Service,’ she said.