Baranduda families with children starting high school in Wodonga are at a loss with no guarantee of a bus service to transport them less than two weeks out from the start of term one.
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Christine Barnett is among those impacted with her son Lachlan going into year 7 at Catholic College in Wodonga, while her daughter remains at Baranduda's St Francis of Assisi Primary School, which both finish at the same time.
It was two weeks before Christmas when the Victorian Transport Department informed Mrs Barnett that Lachlan was one of 35 eligible students attending Catholic College who wouldn't have a seat on the school bus for 2024.
Government school students are given priority should places become available.
"Personally we're in a bit of trouble because a couple of days a week I work until 5pm. We're relying on our son to get home by bus, but we haven't got that," Mrs Barnett said,
"I have to choose whether to leave my 12-year-old or my nine-year-old alone after school, it's awful.
"We're going to lose money if we have to not work and go and pick up our kids. There's at least 10 St Francis parents with kids going to Catholic College that I'm aware of that are sitting in exactly the same boat as me.
"Apparently we get a conveyance allowance, which is great, but we physically can't get the kids there. The other suggestions were public transport, which is non-existent out there, or after school care, but high school doesn't have after school care, so that was a ridiculous suggestion.
"If it's not resolved, I will have to beg my workplace to let me go and get my son and bring him back to work, which isn't ideal, because I work in a law practice and I really can't do it. The other thing is the burden is going to fall back on St Francis in Baranduda because there's going to be a whole heap of us that can't get out there on time to get the younger siblings.
"It's also falling back on St Francis in the morning because the younger siblings will have to be dropped off really early so we can get the older ones in and get to work. It sounds silly but a bus would relieve a whole host of issues."
The Border Mail understands Catholic College Wodonga purchased a 39-seater bus and have employed a driver, but still cannot cater for 35 students out of the 250 enrolled for year 7.
Catholic College Wodonga confirmed in a statement it was committed to working towards solutions to the bus dilemma for families.
"Catholic College Wodonga has a number of eligible students who have not been allocated a seat on a bus for 2024," the statement read.
"This is a concern for both parents and the college, as families rely on the bus service to safely transport their children to school each day.
"We acknowledge the service that the school bus program provides for students of both government and non-government schools, however, with an increasing number of students missing out on places each year we would like to see the program reviewed to ensure that all eligible students across Victoria have access to this vital service."
Benambra MP Bill Tilley said a review of school buses in 2023 proposed no changes despite finding buses in Baranduda and Leneva were oversubscribed, while others at Chiltern and Barnawartha were half full.
"The government has a responsibility to get the kids of hard-working families to school," he said.
"The system is set up for Melbourne, we don't have the network of buses, trains and trams when the school bus is full - it falls back on the taxi of mum and dad and Melbourne doesn't get that.
"It's not rocket science - Baranduda and Leneva are our growth corridors and that's where the kids who are missing out are coming from."
Mrs Barnett said Catholic College Wodonga had acknowledged it was a long-standing issue and flagged with parents as early as September 2023 there was a possibility some new students could be without a seat on the bus.
"The ripple effect is not good because we don't even have public transport that we can use. It's kind of silly they've allowed all this development, but haven't accounted for something as simple as getting the kids to school in Wodonga," Mrs Barnett said.
"It's going to be a problem for another six years until the high school is built out in Baranduda because there's obviously siblings and the like coming through."
The Victorian Transport Department has been contacted for comment.
Beau Greenway
Beau Greenway is a journalist at The Border Mail. He likes to tell the stories of great people in our communities. Email: beau.greenway@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Beau Greenway is a journalist at The Border Mail. He likes to tell the stories of great people in our communities. Email: beau.greenway@austcommunitymedia.com.au
