Bus driver sent for retraining after complaint by school pupil

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A bus driver was sent for retraining after a complaint about the standard of their driving by a school pupil.

The decision, by Newport Bus, was highlighted when a councillor raised concerns about alleged “overcrowding” on vehicles now used by school pupils.

Monmouthshire County Council has been providing free bus passes, to qualifying pupils, to use public service buses rather than it putting on dedicated school buses on some routes since the start of the new term in September.

But Conservative councillor Tony Kear alleged the number 60 Newport Bus service, which takes pupils from Usk to Monmouth Comprehensive, is “overcrowded”.

The Usk member said he was concerned about pupils having to stand on the bus and said: “Newport Bus, following complaints from one pupil, referred a driver for further training.”

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Safe driving standards

He asked at the full council’s September meeting what steps the council was taking to ensure safe driving standards.

He said parents have raised with him the “double standard” that dedicated school buses have to be fitted with seatbelts while pupils are allowed to stand on public service buses which he called “legally overcrowded”.

Councillor Martyn Groucutt, the Labour cabinet member responsible, said the council’s passenger unit regularly undertakes unannounced visits of buses used for school transport.

He said: “I was aware of the incident you raised. It was picked up and the driver sent for retraining and I hope that never happens again and share your disquiet we had children on the bus at the time.”

A spokesman for Newport Bus told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Newport Transport are unable to make comment about individual employees.”

In response to Cllr Kear’s complaint the bus is “overcrowded” Cllr Groucutt had said he was “not aware of any complaints of overcrowding”.

Bus passes

He said the number 60 bus to Monmouth has a capacity between 61 and 70 passengers with a seating capacity of 29 to 33 and the council has issued bus passes to 29 pupils.

Cllr Groucutt said the average number of fare paying passengers is 20 meaning there is usually around 49 passengers on the bus