Three-year-old hospitalised after she was forgotten for hours on daycare bus

The regional NSW girl was meant to be dropped off at a childcare centre on Wednesday morning, but instead she was locked on the bus for four hours until a passer-by spotted her.

A regional NSW preschooler has been left terrified after she was forgotten on the bus meant to drop her off at daycare on Wednesday morning.

The driver of the private bus parked it on Forbes Street in Trundle, a town in NSW’s central west, unknowingly locking his three-year-old passenger inside.

According to 7 News, the girl was meant to be dropped off at Trundle Children’s Centre in the town centre at 8:30am.

Instead she was trapped, alone and distressed for four hours until midday when a man passing by spotted her sitting in the front seat of the vehicle.

According to police, the man unlocked the bus and contacted her parents.

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The little girl was meant to attend daycare at Trundle Children's Centre, but was left on a private bus. Photo: Google

Trundle preschooler left alone on bus for four hours

The little girl was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to Parkes Hospital for further assessment.

According to NSW Health, she was discharged the same day, shaken but in good health.

Central West Police District officers and the Department of Education are investigating the incident.  

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"The Department has been made aware of a serious incident related to the transportation of a child on a private school bus who attends a service at Trundle," the Department of Education said in a statement.

"The Department is investigating the matter and is unable to provide further comment at this time."

The childcare centre also released a statement about the incident. 

"The Trundle Children's Centre can confirm a child enrolled at the service was left unattended on a local school bus for a number of hours on the morning of Wednesday the 19th of July 2023," the centre told 9news.com.au in a statement.

"The centre was notified by parents that the child had been found on the bus at approximately 12pm yesterday.

"The centre director, educators and committee are horrified this has occurred and have been in regular contact with the child's parents. We have been informed by the parents the child was distressed but is thankfully otherwise healthy and unharmed.

"We will be doing everything within our power to ensure an incident like this never occurs again."

Originally published as Three-year-old hospitalised after she was forgotten for hours on daycare bus