School bus driver refused to drop my daughter home

[Theherringbones]

My year 9 daughter gets the school bus service home from school everyday. Its a private service for her school only and It’s about a 50 minute journey.

Tonight there is an unusual amount of traffic on the roads. The driver refused to drop my daughter at her (home) stop as it would take him too long to get there. He said he would drop her somewhere 15 minutes away and she would have to have someone pick her up. She was in tears in the phone to me. The usual 50 minute trip took him about 80 minutes.

The bus stop she was dropped at is a clear run to our home as it’s the back roads and there was no traffic on them. I know that it would have taken him an extra 15 minutes to drop her home, but it is his job!

I was stuck in the middle of the traffic in the opposite direction, trying to collect my other child and had to make all sorts of crazy arrangements with friends to get to her. Luckily I made it just in time.

I had words with him and he was completely rude, ignorant, aggressive and arrogant about it. He refused to give me his name and said it would have take him too long to take her home (it would have been an extra time for him) and there wasn’t another option.

How can a private bus service that is the only reason she can attend this school, refuse to drop her home? Am I being unreasonable or should he have dropped her home, no matter what?!

It's not pretending, I'm genuinely baffled why you are spamming the same thing over and over. It's odd. Making multiple points on a thread, sure, post away. Posting the same thing over and over, it's just odd so no I can't imagine you are ok. I can't actually imagine what the point of it is and I'm not the only person to have noticed. It's very strange behaviour.

People can read your point once, they don't need to read it over and over on 10-15 posts saying almost word for word the same thing.

Posting several times on a thread is fine, and really doesn't matter at all. Not remotely odd, of course.

It does seem a bit odd to go back and count how many times I posted a similar message though. You seem like a very odd person, to be honest, to be so utterly fixated on a multiple post on an important topic.

Did it annoy you immensely when you reported it for spam and were unsuccessful in removing it?

As you know, there is no argument against child safety. As you know this case is extremely clear cut.

There are three possible options for arguing in favour of the bus driver in this case - 1. you are a liar who knows he is wrong but are trolling. 2 you are too stupid to understand the circumstances. 3 you either don't care about or are actively pleased when children are raped and murdered due to the neglect of adults.

I feel an emotional connection to the Daniel Morcombe case as I was living in the vicinity when the murderous rapist pedo slaughtered Daniel. We all hung on to hope for a long time that he'd be found. I watched his parents and family dissolve under the horror on TV. They were and are a lovely and loving family. It was brutal.

As a normal person, this made an impact on me. As a forthright, and outspoken person I don't worry about silly things like multiple posts, when something matters.

As this does.

Reading about a bus driver who decided to endanger the life of a child for his own convenience was bad enough. Reading people pretending his actions could be supported made me angry and upset.

So, because I do care about children being murdered, and feel it is necessary to keep countering the non arguments on this thread, because if I can get through to even one midwit on the subject that could change a decision and that could impact a life, I therefore decided I would not allow them the last word and that I would keep repeating the unassailable, absolutely inarguable truth that the bus driver in this instance was completely, totally and irrevocably wrong.

And I did this every few pages because the thread is very long and many people jump to the beginning and ends of threads - most of us don't comb through threads counting how many posts other people add.

By doing this, I was making sure my post would be towards the beginning, middle and end of the thread.

I guess that is now 12 times, by your count, that I have repeated a similar message, and I am happy to keep repeating it.

This bus driver was completely wrong. Child safety trumps everything.

Here's a link to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation safety resources for children. Day for Daniel is coming up in October.

https://danielmorcombe.com.au/#
https://danielmorcombe.com.au/?resources_kids=travel-safe

Do keep repeating the same disingenous responses if you prefer. I am happy to keep repeating my point ad infinitum.

Sorry, still think its odd to say the same thing over and over. Didn't count, did notice it was in excess of 10 times. Not changing my opinion and im not the only one who noticed.

You can feel passionate and you can make a point without sounding like some weird AI repeatedly saying the same thing. But you do you. I have no problem reporting things that seem off and MN can then look at full history to see if there is an issue.

You had a good point the first time, but posting repeatedly in that odd way it's just, well odd. I'm not going to keep derailing the thread with your bizarre behaviour discussion but it's still strange to me and none of your rants will change my opinion on that.

My manager says if the message hasn't changed it's because my point still stands so I'm making it again for the new staff and to remind those who weren't listening the first time. I think that's perhaps why many people might repeat their points several times on a long thread.

No but you could easily get to Victoria from where you were dropped off dear.

So in absolutely no way was your situation the same.

That couldn't possibly be a valid excuse.

Ridiculous answer, it’s a clear safeguarding issue and he knows he was wrong, why else would he be aggressive and refuse to give his name? He should be sacked treating a child like this. I’m appalled you would think this was ok, he shouldn’t be driving children if he’s not prepared to work overtime! He wouldn’t have been over his legal hours, most bus drivers that drive school buses only do morning and night, but even if he works more hours, he could have said that, not argued and been aggressive! Children should get home safely no matter how long it takes!

I’m very sorry for your loss but you are making a huge assumption that your late friend’s bus company must have the exact same rules and procedures as the one the OP references. In fact you’ve made a lot of assumptions about everything OP said. But if you chose to read the thread you would already know that you are mostly incorrect. OP does pay for the bus service and her stop is a contracted stop (not some kind of favor). The arrangement the OP describes is not at all unusual for private schools— which you would know if you had experience outside of the one single dearly departed friend’s defunct bus company however many years ago.

Frankly if this happened to my kid I wouldn’t give one thought to what hypothetically might happen to other parents in the future if I complained about the bus company violating its contract and leaving my young teen girl unattended so far from home.

OP really should have said in her OP it was a private school bus that she pays for.

Would have saved everyone’s time.

She did, didn't she? From the first sentence in the OP:

My year 9 daughter gets the school bus service home from school everyday. Its a private service for her school only and It’s about a 50 minute journey.

It doesn’t say private school.

I'm confused why that matters.

As I read it, OP has paid for a private transport service from point A (school) to point B (specific bus stop). The service was not provided, as the transportee was deposited at point C (other bus stop).

The privateness of the school does not seem relevant?

Its not relevant. Doesn't matter if it's private school or state school.

The point of fact it was a paid for 'private bus service' and she didn't receive what she paid for.

By private service I took that to mean , just like where I live, that the bus is a private company, contracted by the council, to just run that bus for schoolkids from one school only, ie not for the general public to use, and only for that particular school, eg one route set by the council to pick up and drop off kids from one school....

So did 90% of people. Zero relevance of state or private school. Having had experience of both private are more protective not less protective. State school bus used to frequently not turn up etc (and that was one we had free bus pass for so they had to provide it).

Op said It’s an independent school. Ergo private. I have never heard of schools offering a late bus, state or private.

What point are you trying to make here?

Well lots do to cover kids who stay behind for sports practice or other after school activities. It’s quite normal.

The type of school does matter. It changes who the contract is with. State school, bus will be a local authority. Private/independent school, it will be the school. It changes who the OP should have taken this up with. Before this turned into pages of silly bickering about drivers hours.

Most of the private schools round here only offer a 'late' bus. They leave the schools around 6.15pm.

I’ve already made my point.

Yes, a couple of hours later, after lots of confusion had been caused. It’s pertinent info to put in the OP.

Exactly!

OP said it was a private service and went onto say it was one organised by the school and she pays for her daughter to be take to/from the home bus stop (not her actual home) from/to school.