Jordan Springs community members are expressing their frustrations over the lack of dedicated bus services for students at Jordan Springs Public School.
Catrina Waddell is the grandparent of a student at Jordan Springs Public School and said the lack of a devoted school bus service is frustrating.
“There is no school bus here,” Waddell told the Weekender.
“It’s very frustrating.”
There is a public bus service that operates through Jordan Springs but at times the service has been so overfilled that some students can’t get on.
“The buses are overcrowded in the afternoon,” Waddell said.
“The children are having to stand, so by the time they get to Jordan Springs Public School the children are having to stand.”
Waddell has noted that there has been a series of times an intoxicated man has been on the public bus which has frightened young students.
“So far what we have noticed was twice a gentleman has been drunk on the bus,” Waddell said.
“I believe once he has been kicked off the bus and the police have been called. But the second time, and I’ve complained recently, he wasn’t [kicked off].
“That’s a really big issue.”
Waddell said some primary school children are being penalised for being late to school due to the, at times, delayed bus service.
“The bus comes late, and the children get penalised because they get a late [notice],” Waddell said.
“It is not their fault the bus comes three or four minutes before nine o’clock.”
Waddell has expressed her concerns numerous times to both Jordan Springs Public School and the bus service but no changes have been made.
“The estate is growing all the time, so I feel that they need to take that into consideration… they need the school bus,” Waddell said.
A Department of Education spokesperson said they have advocated for a school bus service to be provided to the Jordan Springs area.
“The Department has advocated for a designated school bus service and will continue discussions with Transport for NSW,” a spokesperson for the Education Department said.
Additionally, Transport for NSW has indicated they are looking at ways of improving their bus services.
“The Bus Taskforce has been tasked with investigating ways to improve services and make buses more reliable, across the state and in Sydney’s growing North West,” a Transport for NSW spokesperson said.
“At a recent Bus Passenger Forum in Marsden Park, the taskforce heard from locals who shared what improvements they wanted to see across western Sydney.
“The taskforce is now helping Government work through how we can deliver improved school services across NSW.”
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.