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Original poster

4 year old left on the bus

443 replies

Huskylover1 · 15/12/2017 20:22

Just heard about this on the news.

A 4 year old boy, gets the bus home from school. He misses his stop. Doesn't alert the driver. Driver gets back to the depot and parks up the bus and leaves. Bus driver has now been sacked for this.

In my book, a 4 year old, is way too young to get the bus home. Especially as there was no parent waiting at the bus stop even! Had there been, the parent would have alerted the bus driver that their son was on board, and needed to get off. Usually, this boy makes his own way home from the bus stop, lets himself in, and his parents arrive home from work, shortly thereafter.

Cue lots of moaning by the parents, that they've been let down. No mention from anyone, that perhaps this little boy shouldn't be making this journey alone.

I just can't fathom, how any parent can thinks it's good judgement to let a 4 year old:

  • identify the right school bus to get on
  • realise when he needs to get off
  • walk from the bus stop to home, and let himself in

Bonkers!

OP posts:
Seeingadistance · 15/12/2017 21:44

Living in the middle of nowhere is no excuse.

Hahahahaha!!!

cathyclown · 15/12/2017 21:44

Cant Sleep,

My post was not one of blame, merely referring to proper protocol, as it would for any worker under the Employment Acts, or whatever they are called now.

Summary dismissal is unheard of nowadays. Proper procedures have to be used first, or at least I thought they did.

Investigation of the circumstances is the first thing. Including all sides I would have thought. No blame until an independent enquiry has all the facts. I don't know all the facts, do you?

That is why I think it may have been a bit hasty to sack the driver. That's all.

There are two sides to every story.

ButchyRestingFace · 15/12/2017 21:45

some of the reporting is proper bollocks.

The Sun says 'treacherous 12 mile trek from Inverness to North Kessock'

But for the purposes of impressing future paramours/dinner guests, I'd be quite happy for the tabloids to go with a Captain-Scott-traverses-the-Antarctic style of reporting if I were that wee boy...

Pinkponiesrock · 15/12/2017 21:48

I live in Scotland, and my children get a school bus. I would imagine it’s more of a private hire minibus, like ours is. I picks my children up at the end of our driveway, I do see them onto the bus so I know they aren’t wandering about if it doesn’t turn up.
They do get off themselves but I have 3 DCs and the oldest is 11 so should in theory look after the younger two Grin
When it was just him on the bus I meet him off it until he was 7 and told me not to, too embarrassing apparently.
However it’s commonplace for 4 year olds to be on the bus unaccompanied by a parent when they start in P1(reception) in rural Scotland.

CantSleepClownsWillEatMe · 15/12/2017 21:48

A final warning is not enough in this situation and I don't believe there are too many parents who would be willing to entrust their young children to this persons care given what happened. He had a very high duty of care and this was gross misconduct. This isn't your tesco delivery driver forgetting the bag with your veg in it, his failure put a child at serious risk. There's no way the company could have kept him on. I feel very sorry for him but of course they had to fire him.

pisacake · 15/12/2017 21:49

the Dad is on FB complaining about the bus company. www.facebook.com/john.robertson.3994885

he was on the case straight away, but bus company were refusing to talk.

eventually, six days later, it's in the local paper and now nationals

bus company seem a bit shit.

pisacake · 15/12/2017 21:51

looks like the school might have put him on the wrong bus

"Yeah John gets put on the bus and strapped in as he is a P1 so no idea how he ended up on the wrong n s or how the bus driver didn't know he was on the bus I thought there was a system so the driver knows who is on his bus and who he has let off but obviously not hopefully get some answers today"

ja9r · 15/12/2017 21:53

@Awwlookatmybabyspider how is the school at fault?

ButchyRestingFace · 15/12/2017 21:53

Father is saying the bus company deleted his comments on their Facebook page and blocked him.

That's pretty bad if true (no reason to disbelieve the father either).

Companies could potentially save themselves so much grief and negative publicity if they just put their hands up and apologised in the first place.

cathyclown · 15/12/2017 21:55

I wonder if the driver was earning a good salary for all this duty of care.

Anyone know what the recompense is for these drivers who need a D license and probably vetting too. Hopefully not minimum wage.

I am still not convinced that the driver should have been sacked. I reckon s/he will appeal anyway. Could be interesting if so.

LipstickHandbagCoffee · 15/12/2017 21:57

No it’s not bad bus company deleted dad comments,it’s to be expected
Given the likely contentions and possible legal action

AnnieAnoniMouse · 15/12/2017 21:58

pisacake

I wonder if there’s another company if the school wanted to cancel the contract!

Feckitall · 15/12/2017 21:59

Don't know about Scotland but we lived in a rural part of the country and my DC were bused from reception. We didn't have reliable transport and the public service was twice a week to nearest town. They had no choice. DS1 fell asleep on the bus often. The driver was known to carry him to the house from the end of lane if it was early/late and I want there.

pisacake · 15/12/2017 21:59

"No it’s not bad bus company deleted dad comments,it’s to be expected
Given the likely contentions and possible legal action"

Nah, not necessary, they can just say 'we are reviewing CCTV and interviewing the driver, please be patient while we complete our investigation'. You can't suppress things these days.

becotide · 15/12/2017 22:00

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Mumof56 · 15/12/2017 22:01

The driver was known to carry him to the house from the end of lane if it was early/late and I want there

Did he leave all the other children unattended to do this?

Doobydoo · 15/12/2017 22:01

The parents are at fault.It is fekin ridiculous

Puppymouse · 15/12/2017 22:01

4yo DD doesn't even cross a road next to a bus without me, let alone get on one. The last time we got the bus together she ended up being hurled into the floor because she couldn't stay upright in her seat when the driver braked. This is bizarre Sad

Mumof56 · 15/12/2017 22:02

@becotide Mumof56, the only nerve you hit is the one that flares up in the presence of nasty

That's you. You're nasty

And you're just lovely

LipstickHandbagCoffee · 15/12/2017 22:03

There’s no nah about it.representations made on social media count
So as I said the bus company will be mindful this could be litigious and they’ll be mindful

pisacake · 15/12/2017 22:03

Puppymouse, the school literally put the child on the bus (van really) and put his seat belt on. It's not a double decker bus from Stabsville to Stabham.

CantSleepClownsWillEatMe · 15/12/2017 22:04

Hopefully not minimum wage.

I agree Cathy but it's not really relevant to what happened in that no matter what his salary, a big part of his role concerned child safety. If the circumstances as reported are in fact correct then I don't see he'd win an appeal on the basis of procedure although granted we don't know what discussion or investigation took place in the company before the story broke.

AlolanRinda · 15/12/2017 22:04

Can someone please please help me i have posted a question and im in dyer need of help.... Thank youSad

ButchyRestingFace · 15/12/2017 22:05

The last time we got the bus together she ended up being hurled into the floor because she couldn't stay upright in her seat when the driver braked.

Presumably the school buses would have seat belts on all seats?

SnowyChristmasWish · 15/12/2017 22:05

This thread is the best example I have ever seen of people making up shit and frothing about it

This! I cannot believe this thread!