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Original poster

A big hoohah locally about kids being kicked off the bus for bad behaviour

49 replies

ElderAve · 29/02/2020 12:02

A normal service bus that takes a lot of children at school times.

A group of 11 yos were asked to leave, by the driver, after throwing things, repeatedly ringing the bell and abusing fellow passengers and the driver when asked to stop.

Mother has gone to the local press about the unreasonableness of leaving 11yos "stranded" 2 miles/40 min walk from home (in daylight). It's only sheer good fortune that she was able to drive out to collect them....

Personally, if my DC were removed from a bus for bad behaviour, I'd be embarrassed and angry with them, ot the company. I'd see having to walk home as a natural consequence of what they'd done and I'd be making them write a letter of apology - that poor driver having to deal with that in the course of his work.

However, looking at the comments on the newspaper site and on the local FB group I am very much in the minority.

Was the driver really in the wrong and putting children "at risk"?

OP posts:
Original poster
ElderAve · 29/02/2020 12:03

*not the company

OP posts:
DobbyLovesSocks · 29/02/2020 12:05

I'm with you

MintyMabel · 29/02/2020 12:08

Not unreasonable but I'd hope he gave them a warning first.

I would definitely not be complaining in public about it, how embarrassing.

SpongeBobJudgeyPants · 29/02/2020 12:09

If it was one 11 yr old there's a safety issue. Group of them? No. One of them probably had a mobile to phone, or walking 2 miles wouldn't hurt, along a safe well lit route.

Thisismytimetoshine · 29/02/2020 12:10

“Mother” is the reason for the bad behaviour in the first place...

Original poster
ElderAve · 29/02/2020 12:10

How is there a safety issue in an 11yo walking 2 miles at 3:30?

OP posts:
BentNeckLady · 29/02/2020 12:12

Shit parenting isn’t it.

lotusbell · 29/02/2020 12:12

My OH is a bus driver and I don't think they're actually allowed to do this, ie kick them off and leave them 'stranded'.
I get a public bus with my son and there are a lot of school kids on it. Dont think any of them are badly behaved but the wiest thing for me is the kids who won't sit down if its next to a stranger so clutter all the aisle up or sit on the stairs. Only a few of the drivers will tell them to sit down or move back, fear of repercussions I think.
I would guess its probably up to the driver to go back to his inspector and get them to contact the school in question.

FlamingoAndJohn · 29/02/2020 12:13

2 miles? That’s no distance at all. Healthy 11 year olds should be able to walk 2 miles without noticing they’ve done it.

Soontobe60 · 29/02/2020 12:14

Talk about over protective! My DD used to walk to and from school (3miles) with her friends almost every day! If the pupils are not able to behave appropriately then they should actually be banned from the bus for a time. And if my child did this, I'd make them walk!

Floribundance · 29/02/2020 12:16

If it’s not a school bus then I don’t see the issue. They got themselves to the bus and boarded alone (without adult supervision).

Peregrina · 29/02/2020 12:17

I know our local school bus did this once - forcing a group to walk to school and therefore turning up late. For which they duly got detentions.

It was perfectly safe, with paved roads the whole way. I think it taught that particular group a lesson.

Pipandmum · 29/02/2020 12:17

No they need to learn the consequences of unacceptable behaviour. If it was just one child in a remote location then no, but a normal bus route in daylight with several of them...the mum should not have picked them up. Aren't there signs everywhere that they do not tolerate abusive behaviour on buses etc?

Kikkoman · 29/02/2020 12:18

Why should they have had a warning? At that age they know not to be have that way. The bus driver was not their parent, legal guardian - he owed them nothing.

I’ve been in a bus full of older school kids and they behaved like a bunch of screaming apes. Each fading each other do so thing.

If this was one of my kids they would have been bollocked and made to write a letter of apology

LuckyLickitung · 29/02/2020 12:22

If my child was thrown off a bus for poor behaviour, I'd be disgusted with him, and as long at the walk home isn't hazardous (winding country roads, dual carriageways) walking home is a natural consequence to behaviour not fit for public transport.

I would not be sad-facing in the media about my poor diddums!

TrippingOnSunshine · 29/02/2020 12:26

If that was my son I'd be bollocking him not the bus company. And 2 miles walk is nothing as long as it was safe to walk.

myidentitymycrisis · 29/02/2020 12:27

where I live there are community police support officers posted at the bus stops at 3.30 regularly to try and control the kids coming out of school.

vhs95 · 29/02/2020 12:27

They presumably all got home safely and hopefully the school gave them a bollocking as they were identifiable by their uniforms. I'd be mortified if my DGS had been in the group and he'd have had his ps4 confiscated for a bit - certainly wouldn't be shouting the odds on social media or in the press!

Pinkflipflop85 · 29/02/2020 12:30

Getting thrown off of the bus was w daily occurrence when I went to school in the 90s. Didn't matter who was playing up....driver would make everyone in school uniform get off!

Parents didn't go rushing off to the local papers for their own sad face story.

Peregrina · 29/02/2020 12:31

I must say, that I once used to catch a train to work and the school children on it behaved impeccably. I regret not writing a note to the school to say what good ambassadors they were for the school. This was just an ordinary comprehensive.

SpongeBobJudgeyPants · 29/02/2020 12:36

Elder If that last post was to me, I'm agreeing with you! Grin

AuntyMcAoife · 29/02/2020 12:37

I'm with you. I also wouldn't give my child bus money for the rest of the week.

OurChristmasMiracle · 29/02/2020 12:41

Next time I hope the driver just calls the police as soon as they start abusing fellow passengers or him and then their parents can deal with the police.

I actually think the driver was completely in the right- they were being unsafe and abusive. Distracting the drivers attention etc could have lead to a crash they were warned, and became abusive.

LadyCordeliaVorkosigan · 29/02/2020 12:41

Good for the bus driver.
Assuming the area has pavements - if they had to walk along a grass verge of a dual carriageway, I'd expect the driver to get to a safe place before dumping them.

When I was a kid, a sixth-formers knifed a younger kid on the school bus. Driver did first aid, then punched the sixth-former, dragged him down the aisle down the entire length of the coach by his collar, brat on his back, then kicked him out onto the hard shoulder of the A3 and drove off.

No phones then, but the sixth-former wasn't seen on the bus again. The driver never had any trouble on his bus again.

LadyCordeliaVorkosigan · 29/02/2020 12:42

If that happened in London, then the kids' free Oystercard could be stopped. Having to pay for travel concentrates such parents' minds wonderfully.