Get me to the school on time

Though the first day of school involved a few hiccups, with 11 children not being picked up, the problems were sorted out by the afternoon, with every child booked on school transport returning home on their appropriate bus.

Joanna Chetcuti from Swieqi has three children, all attending different schools, so mornings are a juggling act – making sure the right child is at the right bus stop at the right time – and all before most people have had their first cup of coffee.

Her youngest son is only seven and is collected at 6.30am, even though school does not start till 7.45am. The drive from Swieqi to Stella Maris College in Balzan does not take very long at that time of the morning, and “there are days when the school bus arrives before the gates are even opened. I am lucky that the bus driver waits with the children until there is someone at the school to supervise them.

“The school has issued circulars to parents encouraging that they demand bus drivers wait with the children until the gates are open at 7.00am to ensure the safety of the children until there is someone to supervise them when the gates open”.

Chetcuti’s other two children are collected a little later, at 6.40am and 7.15am. The reason that the buses have such early pick-up times, Chetcuti maintains, is because the drivers can fit in another route after the first lot have been dropped off.

“Though this may make financial sense for the bus companies, it is not ideal for the children who have to be dragged out of bed, in winter in the cold and the dark, only to hang around for an hour or so at school. In my opinion, the children attending Church schools are the first ones to be picked up, with bus drivers doing another route for a private school after ours have been dropped off,” she said.

For other children, the early start is necessary as it takes them just as long to get to school in the first place. Josette Tanti, from Zurrieq, has two girls who attend The Convent of the Sacred Heart in St Julian’s. They are picked up at 7.00am and often don’t arrive in time for school at 8.15am.

“There are a lot of children who need to be picked up, but for the residents of Zurrieq it is the traffic that makes the journey long”.

The school transport system is not a nightmare for every child, however. Theresa Ganado’s son caught the bus from his home in Bahar ic-Caghaq to St Martin’s College in Swatar on his first day at school at 7.15am for an 8.00am start.

“The bus was early on the first day, just until the driver gets used to the routes and eventually pick up time will be between 7.20am and 7.30am, which is perfectly reasonable.

“Since the new safety regulations have come into force, transport is a lot better. Every child has his own seat and has to have a seatbelt so the buses are not overcrowded. I would rather pay the increased fees and know that my children are safe.”

Despite an investigation into complaints of steep increases in the costs of school transport, fees have not remained the same, increasing slightly every year. Transport costs depend on the school in question and more so on the area the children are from.

On average, however, parents pay approximately €250 per term per child for school transport with a deposit between €100 and €200 to be paid at the end of the scholastic year to guarantee a place on the bus the following year.

This article appeared in MaltaToday's Wednesday edition