Concerns have been raised for the “safety and welfare” of new Year 8 pupils starting St Patrick’s College, Banbridge in September after a private school bus serving rural areas was announced as being full.
A concerned parent reached out to Armagh I to raise the issue after she was informed that her child would need to use public transportation to get to and from school in the new academic year rather than a “private” bus which as previously been utilised by children living in her area.
The private school bus – which is now reported by the Education Authority as being at full capacity – serves the Gilford and Lawrencetown areas and collects and drops pupils directly at the school gates.
Pupils that can now no longer avail of the private bus will have to take a public bus service departing at 7.45am to be in school for 9am which will drop off at Banbridge Bus Station at Solitude Park – a 20-minute walk to and from the school on the Scarva Road.
The mother – who wished to remain anonymous – said that she is just one of many parents who are now actively working to find a “safer” solution for their children.
She said: “These kids come from rural areas and they are not used to going around busy towns like Banbridge.
“But my issue is that the only bus that would get them on time to school is at 7.45am and it leaves them at top of Banbridge at the new bus station where they would have to find their own way to school but for the last seven or eight months there has already been a safety concern on the Scarva Road just with crossing that one road.”
The parent argues that in the last seven to eight months someone narrowly avoided being knocked down in the area due to the lack of a “patrolled crossing”.
The school had for many years enjoyed the support of lollipop people at the crossing during school opening and closing times – however, they no longer have a lollipop person in situ.
And the parent, this publication spoke to, argues that this is just one of the very busy roads that pupils will have to cross during rush hour traffic to get to school on time.
She also raised concerns for the children’s’ safety while on the bus.
She added: “The bus is public and we don’t know who is going to be on it. We are in the second highest area in Northern Ireland for sexual offenders [correct as of PSNI report November 2024]. It’s not good. We are not guaranteed who will mind the kids on the bus. Who is responsible?”
She does state, however, that no definitive decision seems to have been made on whether or not the private bus will be upgraded to a larger capacity or whether a second bus will be implemented.
The lack of clarity on this is something she is keen to resolve well before the start of the new school year.
Taking up the issue, MLA for the Alliance Party Eoin Tennyson has urged the Education Authority to take action to improve the capacity of the bus.
Said the Upper Bann MLA: “This is not an ideal outcome for the youngest pupils starting secondary school.
“It is clear that a better solution would be for the Education Authority to increase the capacity of the existing school bus service by deploying an additional, or larger, bus to meet the growing demand.
“St Patrick’s College is a fantastic school with a growing pupil intake, therefore, I would encourage the Education Authority to take proactive steps to ensure there are no transport barriers or additional burdens placed on any child.”
Similarly, Sinn Féin Councillor Kevin Savage has been engaging directly with the school Principal Mrs Woods to find a suitable resolution.
Keen to point out that this is issue has not been caused by St Patrick’s College – and in fact Mrs Woods is actively working to help find an alternative – the Councillor explained: “I’ve been contacted by several concerned parents and have been working with the school.
“Mrs Woods like myself has been in contact with EA about this. The feeling is that this could be very easily resolved if Translink would amend the route to drop kids off at the school in the morning. That would be the most logical way to get this sorted. I don’t think it’s an insurmountable problem for them to do that.
“I would encourage parents to lobby Translink and the EA on that point to see if we could make this happen.”
A spokesperson for the Education Authority said:”The EA is committed to providing safe, suitable, and reliable transport for all students on our home to school services.
“We can confirm that two private operator bus services currently operating to St Patrick’s College Banbridge are running at capacity.
“To address the pressures and ensure eligible pupils have access to transport, Year 8 students due to start St Patrick’s College in September 2025 will be issued with a Translink bus pass to access one of the suitable existing services in operation from the school.”
“Services will continue to be kept under review.”
