Capes student forced to change schools days before returning as lack of transport continues

As the lack of school bus services in Cowaramup persists, children are being pulled out of their school of choice and separated from siblings.

With school due to return on Monday, South West families are still struggling to find transport for their children to attend St Mary MacKillop Catholic College in Busselton, with red tape preventing them from catching the free regional bus.

• Cowaramup families left frustrated and stranded due to lack of regional bus services

Margaret River mother Mia Fox has been forced to relocate her daughter to St Thomas More Catholic Primary School 11 days before school was due to return.

Despite receiving confirmation of bus seats to St Mary MacKillop for both of her children in June 2021, she received an email last week informing her that her youngest, a Year 5 student, had been withdrawn from the bus to make way for a high school student.

“It’s incredibly upsetting,” Ms Fox said.

“If you receive confirmation then don’t receive correspondence for seven months you progress with no worries . . . we’d bought our daughter a computer, uniforms, the book list, everything.”

She said her daughter, Neve, was “broken” at the news she wouldn’t be starting at St Mary MacKillop with her older sister, the first time the pair will be in separate schools.

“She (Neve) had trouble sleeping and was crying non-stop for two whole days,” she said.

“I’m just thankful she hadn’t started, we would’ve had to bring her back, my husband and I both worked full time so rely 100 per cent on SBS (school bus service).

“For sanity and health of our child we couldn’t put her in this position where her world keeps changing.

“There is absolutely no finger pointing from me, I understand the system, the SBS is in a predicament and is governed by a policy which they can’t just change.

“It’s just very disappointing, now we have two schools and four different times for pick up and drop off.”

Last month the concerned families joined with Vasse MP Libby Mettam to write to Transport Minister Rita Saffioti.

“These buses are at capacity and any spare seats have been allocated to complimentary students,” Ms Saffioti wrote in her response.

“I understand this is an issue important to many in the community, which is why the State Government referred the matter to the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee to undertake a review into the Policy.”

Families were told they would be advised of the review’s outcome in January but are yet to receive a response.

With 25 children still seeking transport Cowaramup mother Natalie Francke-Hicks said families are now looking for other solutions, including hiring a private bus.

She said she won’t stop until a solution is found.

“It might not happen in the first week or even the first term we have to keep pursuing,” she said.

“I’m not getting angry, I’m all about finding a solution . . . we are all ratepayers and a facility as simple as public transport needs to be review and looked into.”