Lilydale and Yarra Glen students struggling to get a place on busy schoolbus

Parents of Lilydale and Yarra Glen have been scrambling to get their children to class on time due to a dire issue with their local school bus.

Schoolkids are being left on the side of the road in Lilydale and Yarra Glen because the morning bus is too full. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Schoolkids have been left on the side of the road in Lilydale and Yarra Glen because their morning bus is too full, with parentswarning the problem has been years in the making.

The bus route, which services four schools in the Lilydale region and is contracted by the state government, has been unableto keep up with demand this week as children return to the classroom.

The department has pledged to address the issue and will put on an extra service on while they look for a long-term solution.

Furious parents say the bus was already notorious for being overcrowded but this year the problem became so bad at least 15kids were left behind at a stop in Yarra Glen on Wednesday.

This included children with special needs, with students against left behind on Thursday.

One parent named Megan, who asked not to provide her last name, said some students were in tears when they were left at thes top.

Furious parents say the bus was already notorious for being overcrowded. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

People had to leave work to make sure they got to school,” she said.

“There’s more than enough kids for a second bus and that way they could all get a seat.”

Megan said her children had avoided the bus in the mornings for two years because it was crowded.

But this year they had decided to catch it with their friends and were yet to get on board.

Another parent, Leah Wilson, said she had to interrupt work and study to come and pick up her sons and get them school.

“My son in Year 7 used to catch it last year and it was always packed,” she said.

“He always stood right near the door which was always alarming because its not a normal bus route.

“It is on a highway so its pretty dangerous to have kids standing at all.”

Ms Wilson said she had been told the problem was that there weren’t enough buses.

“I had to leave an hour and a half earlier because I didn’t want to risk it happening again,” she said.

“Every child deserves to get to school safely.”

A Department of Transport and Planning spokesman said they were extremely concerned to learn about the issue.

“We are addressing this as a matter of priority and apologise to the parents and children of those affected.

“We are putting on an extra bus from tomorrow to deal with the current capacity issue on the route as well as looking intothe best longer term solution to prevent a similar situation arising in the future.”

Opposition MP Cindy McLeish, the local member for the area, called on the government to add an extra service.

“The first week of high school should be about meeting new friends and settling in to a new environment,” she said.

“School can be challenging enough without having the added stress of not knowing whether they’ll be taken to class on timeor left on the side of the road.

“The state government must urgently invest in an additional bus service to ensure no child’s safety is put at risk again.”