Children are having to walk up to three miles to and from school through “fields, ginnels and unlit areas” because of a lack of buses. Turton School on Bromley Cross Road has long struggled with issues with the 926 “scholars route” bus service, a single decker bus with a capacity of just 70. This is despite around 130 to 140 children needing to use the bus, which usually fills up after just one stop, which the school has repeatedly raised with Transport for Greater Manchester.
Assistant headteacher Liam Oxley said: “Overall, as a school we are really unhappy with the lack of service and support from TfGM. “We are an oversubscribed and fully comprehensive secondary school who go above and beyond for our students and families. Turton School has long had issues with the 926 bus service (Image: Newsquest) “We have tried for a number of years to encourage TfGM to address this issue to no avail.
“Our main concerns are that TfGM are not providing a service that is fit for purpose. “As a school we uphold very high standards and duty of care for our students which includes them getting to and from school safely and fairly. “TfGM are not meeting those standards.
“Expecting families to pay more for their children to get a bus to and from school in comparison to others is not fair. “Also, if a purposeful and fair solution cannot be created, is it right that children as young as 11 can be expected to walk up to three miles through fields, ginnels and other unlit ar.
