School bus times changed without warning

[MockneyReject]

For 2 years, the school bus has arrived at 08:00.
I see DS on, and then rush to work, for 08:15ish. I'm meant to start at 08:00, so spend the morning catching up (home care visits).

As of 2 weeks ago, the regular company have stopped trading. So, the Local Authority have issued a temporary contract. The new providers have been late, every day, both morning and afternoon. Parents received a text, usually once the bus was half an hour late. So, middle school children (9-13) are waiting around for between 30 and 60 minutes.
They used to arrive home at around 3:50. Lately, it has been 4:30 ish. Again, no communication.

Today, parents have received an update, in response to all the complaints. From now until possibly the end of this school year, the bus will pick up at 9ish and collect the children from school at 4.
So, they will arrive 45 minutes late for the school day, and will return home 45 minutes to an hour late.
Apparently, the new firm is struggling, due to broken down buses and lack of drivers. The buses that are turning up are quite random - old with no seatbelts.

I phoned the LA today, explaining that I am unwilling to leave my child home alone, every morning, to get himself to school.
More importantly, he won't be home before I leave for my evening shift, so will have to let himself in, cook his own dinner and put himself to bed, 2-3 times a week. I get home at about 8:30.
Usually, he comes with me, and has dinner with a friend, close to my work, if I'm doing a split shift.

Their response was that I have a choice.
Either, tell my employer that I'm simply not coming in to work (I already had to phone in at the last minute, this evening, as I was frantically looking out for the bus) which cost me £35 earnings. My manager is already annoyed with me.
OR advertise on SM for a stranger to take him and collect him, as I don't know any other parents.

They refused to allow me to apply for a Personal Travel Budget, to cover taxis.

They stated that seatbelts are preferable, but not a duty.

So, tomorrow, he will have to come to work with me, instead of going to school. He will likely have to come with me all next week, and sit in the car, while I do care visits - usually 30-60 minutes each.

AIBU to think they are failing to meet their obligation?
And to be worried sick, as my options are:
Give up work and be unable to pay the rent/bills/food.
Keep DS off school, risking court/fines.

Ask for contact details for new headteacher or deputy head.
Write to, email and telephone your mp.
Telephone your local newspaper.
Reach out on social media to parents at the school who may well be in the same position.
Be honest with your employer, that morning shifts will only work for you in the holidays otherwise you can do evening shifts. Negotiate with them, you are reliable that should stand you in good stead.
Ultimately this location does not work for you as few job opportunities and having to rely on public transport which is unreliable for your son. At some point you will need to move but for now try all of the above.

You might have to move on to getting a formal pre-action letter sent, and unfortunately that isn't covered by legal aid unless you qualify in your own right. You need to go to solicitors specialising in education law such as Simpson Millar or Irwin Mitchell.

Employment law dictates one 20 minute (unpaid) break if you work more than 6 hours. It cannot be taken at the start or end of a shift but there are no other restrictions on when it can be taken. You could take it 3 or 9 hours into an 11 hour shift, for example. There would be nothing wrong with that.

I would absolutely go on the angle that the children cannot be arriving 45 mins late for school each day- that’s awful. They’re entitled to that education. That’s going to massively disrupt their education. Fight it on that angle op not on your work hours- they won’t care about your work hours but they have a duty to ensure your child receives his education

This!
Also go with the angle the new company
may be in breach of their contract. I would be surprised if it didn’t include some kind of standard for punctuality eg no more than X minutes late no more than Y per cent of the time. If the company are pleading lack of drivers or vehicles, that’s their problem, not yours.

OP I get it. I live in a hamlet in SW England. My kids' school bus went from a stop 1.5 miles away. The road to get there is mostly single-track with passing places, no pavements, very hilly and a 60mph speed limit. There is a quieter lane they could use, but that has a ford which is impassible on foot in the winter. I invariably drove them to & from the bus stop on days I wasn't working there.

Definitely contact your MP and your county councillors because the county is paying for this service. Get on that village FB page and reach out to others to see if there is someone out there who could help at one end of the day. Good luck.

We had similar round here and parents clubbed together to get a taxi minibus organised.
not ideal when yours is free (ours isn’t as it’s ironically too far despite being “local catchment”)

have the council got a plan for the new term? They cannot have children being consistently late or in schools care for longer

Could you take him to your first appointment at 730 (leaving him in the car), then run him to school between that and the second? I'm a single mom...it's quite shit that people aren't understanding of some of the difficulties we face.