Parents Alarmed as School Bus Delays Leave Children in Distress

Stockport: Parents are really upset about the ongoing bus delays for their kids. It’s been a mess since the Bee Network took over the services. Just last week, a parent shared how the 864 bus was almost two hours late, making kids arrive at school way past the start time.

Now, another dad, Aftab Marchant, is speaking out about his son’s struggles with the 42A bus to Manchester Grammar School. Since the Bee Network took over, things have only gotten worse. Aftab’s son leaves home early, but the bus often just doesn’t show up.

They track the bus on an app, but it keeps disappearing from the schedule. One day, Aftab had to pick up his son, and he found a group of kids all waiting for the bus. When he finally got his son, he noticed his lips were blue from the cold.

It’s not just the morning rides; the bus didn’t show up for the return trip either, leaving his son to catch a later bus and get home late. Aftab feels like he’s getting no answers from the Bee Network staff, which is super frustrating.

He compared it to being at an airport, seeing your flight on the board, but when you get to the gate, there’s no plane. TfGM’s chief network officer, Danny Vaughan, has apologized for the delays and says they’re looking into the complaints. They’re trying to make sure the buses run on time for everyone.