AIBU, DS forced to stand on the bus?

[TheFlandersPigeonMurderer]

First day back to school today and lo and behold, we have a new bus service.
To cut a long and boring story short, instead of two buses going on different routes from A to B, now there's one bus with a smaller minibus scooping up the odd few DC's from the outlying farms etc. This would make sense if the bus had capacity for all the children who need to use it. Today DS said there was only a handful of seats left (we're now almost the last stop) and the middle years at school don't return till tomorrow.
AIBU to think that all the children should have a seat?
Having grown up in London I'm no stranger to having to stand on buses, trains and tubes but this bus travels along windy country lanes (sections of which are national speed limit) before having to cross the main A road through the town. As a one off I guess it's unavoidable, on a daily basis I'm not sure if I'm being precious?

YANBU, how are kids going to get their homework done that's due that day if they have to stand?

(YANBU anyway)

For those who asked he's 13, but the bus has DC from yr5 to college age on. And bizarrely they won't allow them to move out of their seats and have bought in chaperones (for want of a better word) to keep control on problem routes. DC who misbehave can be excluded from bus services.

Minibuses aren't allowed to transport standing passengers. I've stood on rural buses before and it's bloody terrifying! 50 down roads with a potential emergency stop round every corner due to an unexpected tractor!

However, there is a size of bus that's like half way between a minibus and a coach - seats about 30. So possibly they will provide one of those tomorrow? Fingers crossed!

My husband was killed in a car accident on a rural road and he was wearing a seat belt. You are not being precious. More people are killed on rural roads than other road types. If it was my child I would insist on there being enough seats and seat belts. Kick up a fuss and don't let anyone tell you not to.

A school transport bus should have seats for all DC. Where I live children get moved around between different bus services to make sure everyone fits from year to year.

YANBU - my school was the one that promoted the seatbelt law. I was at school in the 90's and it was coaches and there wasn't a seat by the time
It got to me. The buses were on country lanes.
There was a huge accident on one of the buses on a bad bend with a lorry and 2 kids were thrown from the bus, they both died. - there are now seat belts. I don't want to offer advice as the obvious stuff is to speak to the school as their contract will be to seat every child??

YANBU. Safety first and driving around lanes and country roads without a seat is not safe. He should have a seatbelt really but one battle at a time maybe. I would be fighting for a bigger bus.

Yanbu, having travelled on a coach like this when I was at school its dangerous. There are alot of nationals on country roads and then you have the narrow roads which may be windy where often a coach has to stop suddenly as you cant fit a car and coach. It would be different in town or city but country roads can be deceptively dangerous especially since there tends to be blind corners. If there is not the capacity i would complain personally. I remember one coach we used to go on we had to be 3 to a seat or sit on steps and you would get thrown about

YANBU, it's unsafe. Inform the school so they've got time to cover their arses and get a bigger coach before any accidents happen.

OP of course you are not being precious or unreasonable.

Of course your son needs a seat and a seat belt.

"I'm struggling to articulate why without sounding like a harpy." Well I'd just say you would not drive your son to school in a car without seat belt, let alone without a seat. If he came to school without a seat belt you would not be taking care of him so you can't see how this is any different.

Baileyscheesecake I am so sorry to hear about your husband.

milgrave "Seriously, you need to wait until things actually happen before you start to worry about them. You don't even know the arrangements for the buses tomorrow. Nobody has been forced to stand." This is not really how accident prevention works though is it. We don't wait until things go wrong before we raise the issue that things may go wrong.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575323/Home_to_school_travel_and_transport_guidance.pdf

Bus safety considerations
45. Buses and coaches used to take pupils to and from school are public service vehicles and, as such, are subject to specific legislation on safety standards. All coaches and minibuses carrying groups of children of 3 to 15 years of age on organised trips are required to be equipped with seat belts. The legal requirement to fit seat belts does not apply to other types of bus, including those on public service. These tend to travel relatively slowly, over short distances, with frequent stops. Schools or local authorities making arrangements for home to school transport are free to specify within their contracts that they will only accept vehicles fitted with seatbelts.
46. The Public Service Vehicles (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984 allow the option of three children under the age of 14 to occupy a bench seat designed for two adults on aservice bus. Modern bus designs and seat belt requirements are reducing the circumstances in which this practice can be adopted and in the opinion of the Secretary of State, local authorities making arrangements for home to school travel should only make use of this concession on an exceptional basis.

We don't wait until things go wrong before we raise the issue that things may go wrong

No, but equally we don't ask 'AIBU, DS forced to stand on the bus' when it never fucking happened.

Education board knows how many people require bus. Education board then arrange bus(es) for said amount of people. OP has no idea what the arrangements are, perhaps tomorrow there will be 2 buses, because maybe they journey will be split, but today there was enough space on just one bus. Maybe the OP DS wasn't entirely accurate when assessing the amount of empty seats. But school busses are tendered according to need, so it's 99% likely that the OP son will not need to stand on the bus. There is of course the 1% chance that the bus company are cowboys and have put on one bus instead of 2 but are charging the council for both - very very unlikely.

I would suggest that yes OP is BVU because the very thing she is asking about hasn't even happened.

jsother the point about 3 to a bench won't apply as that states in a service bus.

There was a crash a few yrs back on a school bus my kids were using..one poor child died he was flung out of the window.i belive ..from what I remember he was sat on the only seat that didn't have a seat belt..it shook up a lot of parents and many drove themselves after that...so are you being unreasonable.??.I'd say no,yr not.its not acceptable.

Ignore that sorry I missed the exception

YADNBU. I have no idea why in a car you have to wear a seat belt and on a bus you can stand. Definite follow this up.

Let's hope the bus doesn't have to do an emergency stop!
It ISN'T safe.

TheFlandersPigeonMurderer Don't ask for opinions and then lash out at people who offer them. Maybe you should get off the internet for a while

Maybe there will be two buses tomorrow?

Thing is, once a kid has gone through a window, it is TOO LATE to ask the 'pointless questions' then.

16 year old Son have just belly laughed at this thread.. he has just gone to year 11 and we live 1 hour from school it is regular to not get a seat until halfway home.

Migraleve. That funny ? on the end of the opening title is a question mark. It changes the meaning from a statement to a question. As in will my son be forced to stand ? (tomorrow when the rest of the school are on board) The op is quite clear but you seem to be unable to understand it which is a bit worrying for you.

Aww bless your sarcasm. Have you been practicing long?