WA Nationals slam cancelled Mid West bus route but State Government says service ‘is not feasible’

The WA Nationals have slammed the decision to cancel a bus route for a Yuna school student but the State Government says continuing the $90,000-a-year service for one child “is not feasible”.

Eradu mother Fiona Mann was informed last week her youngest son George, 11, was having his bus route cancelled from next year, with the family set to be forced to drive 300km per day, or 20 hours per week, just to get their son an education.

Yuna Primary School has just nine students, with George the only one taking the Yuna south east school bus.

Nationals candidate for Geraldton Kirrilee Warr said the decision showed little empathy for people living in the regions.

“This is another neglectful decision made by a Labor Government which has no concern for families in regional WA,” she said.

“Every child has the right to an education, no matter where they live, but this short-sighted decision has taken away that right.

“The Yuna community has put considerable thought into presenting a fair and rational solution to this issue but the Government has blatantly ignored it, showing how little regard it has for regional people.”

Ms Warr had concerns about people being less attracted to the area because of the decision.

“If you’re a family with school-aged children looking to move to the area, a three-hour commute for your children to attend school is a massive deterrent. In fact, it’s prohibitive,” she said.

“With the current Government policy of a minimum of eight students required to have a bus service commence, it will mean that the predicted enrolment of children from a number of families in this area over the next two to three years won’t have a bus service.”

However, the State Government said the cost of running the service for one student made the situation difficult.

“We want to provide sustainable school transport options to all families but unfortunately operating a $90,000 per year bus service for a single student is not feasible, particularly when there are a number of other students waitlisted for services in other parts of the state,” a State Government spokesperson said.

“Given the vastness of our State, it’s not possible to provide a regional school bus service to every student, which is why we provide a conveyance allowance to assist with travel to and from school.”

It’s estimated the family will receive more than $30,000 from the conveyance allowance.

The spokesperson said the Government would not hesitate to reinstate a bus service if the demand increased to a level where it was warranted.