Gracemere parents fear for kids safety after over crowded bus claims

There are renewed calls for a high school to be built in Gracemere, with parents raising concerns children could be hurt or worse amid claims of overcrowded school buses and students being left on the side of the road.

Gracemere mums Elizabeth Langford and Tash Wallis (both inset) have expressed their concerns after claims of overcrowded school buses and kids being left at bus stops in the Rockhampton suburb.

Worried and angry Gracemere parents are fearing for the safety of their children, with claims of overcrowded school buses and children as young as nine being left on the side of the road.

The bus routes to Rockhampton from Gracemere are operated by Young’s Bus Service, with parents claiming their complaints and worries are falling on deaf ears.

One concerned parent is Elizabeth Langford, who has three children that take the bus to Rockhampton.

She said there were occasions where her children, and others, have had to sit on the bus steps or stand in the aisles.

“It’s getting beyond a joke,” she said.

“My biggest concern is something happening to the kids...if there’s a serious accident there will be lot of serious injuries...the overloading is so dangerous.

“I’m also concerned for those kids who are left behind and their parents are at work who can’t just come and get them or they can’t get home.

“Have we learnt nothing?”

Ms Langford isn’t the only parent whose children have had issues catching the bus from Gracemere.

Tash Wallis’ three children have also had issues, with one of her kids being forced to walk home and not make it to school at all.

She said her nine-year-old daughter now only gets the bus in the afternoon.

“My nine year old is no longer catching the bus in the morning due to them driving past her multiple times and leaving her behind with no way to contact me,” she said.

“She has walked home and stayed home unoccupied for the day.

“My 15 year old catches the blue route, and many times she has been crammed onto a bus because her bus or the other buses have failed to come to collect kids.

Gracemere mum Elizabeth Langford.

“The bus has been late in afternoon leaving her sister, who catches bus 42, standing beside the road alone for 30 minutes one day recently.”

She said he biggest concern was her children being at risk of abduction if they were left alone.

A spokesman, in a joint statement from both the Department of Transport and Main Roads and Young’s Bus Service, said the department was not aware of any students being left at bus stops.

Young’s Bus Service has been owned and operated by ComfortDelGro Australia since October 2021, with the Young family no longer having any association with the business.

The spokesman said Young’s Bus Service, which operates the school bus routes between Gracemere and Rockhampton, provided eight buses with a capacity of 519 seats.

“The safety and comfort of students is a priority for TransLink and school bus operators,” the spokesman said.

“We monitor passenger loads at the start of the term as numbers change from year to year, so it is important for students to remember to be patient for the first few weeks as services settle into use.”

The spokesman said driver shortages across the state were also impacting local bus services.

“When required an additional bus operator is engaged to provide a bus and driver, however under some circumstances school bus services still need to be combined. A combined service does mean some students stand. Some students may choose to stand even when spare seats are available,” the spokesman said.

Gracemere mum Tash Wallis.

“Young’s Bus Service informs parents/guardians of impacted services via text message to let them know of any service changes.

“The bus operator and TransLink are investigating options to divert some other services via Gracemere to assist. Temporary school bus changes can be implemented at the start of the school bus year until travel patterns settle.

“To ensure a smooth transition back to school we also recommend students, parents, guardians and caregivers check out Translink’s safe school travel tips.”

The incidents have renewed calls for a high school to be built in the suburb.

A spokesman for the Department of Education said no complaints relating to bus services had been received and encouraged parents to contact the Department of Transport and Main Roads of Young’s Bus Service to discuss concerns.

The Education Department spokesman said there were currently no plans to open a new secondary school in Gracemere.

“The Queensland Government is committed to building new schools in Queensland’s fastest growing areas. The department conducts ongoing analysis to inform demand and new schools planning through the Queensland Schools Planning Reference Committee,” he said.

“The state secondary student population of Gracemere is currently only projected to grow to approximately 1000 students by 2041. The department generally plans for secondary schools to grow to a stable enrolment of 1500 to 1800 students

“On this basis, the department does not currently have plans to open a new state secondary school in Gracemere.”