School bus service in Tweeddale loses its contract after ignoring flood warning signs
November 30, 2009 by Andrew Morgan
Filed under All News, Industry News, Transport and Traffic news
School bus driver ignored flood warning signs
MacEwans Bus Company which provides a school bus service for children in the Tweeddale area in the Scottish Borders, has had its contract with the council taken away. It comes after an incident last week where a driver ignored flood warning signs and proceeded to drive down a flooded road with a bus load of school pupils onboard.
Following the incident, the coach company bosses were called to a meeting by the Scottish Borders Council to explain themselves. However council officials decided to withdraw the company’s contract to provide a bus service for schools in the Tweeddale area. The council is now seeking a replacement bus firm to take over the contract.
It has been reported that the driver of the number 91 bus service, which transports school pupils from Broughton and Stobo to Peebles, completely ignored the road closed signs and ploughed down a waterlogged road. Once the driver realised he couldn’t make it through, he reversed the vehicle all the way back down the road.
Outraged parents wasted no time in alerting the press to the incident. One parent described the dangerous act as “absolute madness” before adding, “He ignored the road closed sign completely. Not only was he putting the children in danger but what kind of message does that give to the children on board.”
The head of schools in Peeblesshire, Yvonne McCraken, confirmed that the incident will be investigated fully and “appropriate action will be taken.”
Seems harsh on the bus company as they cant hold every drivers hand. On the other hand as a driver Ive had a lot of pressure from companies to drive in dangerous conditions but at the end of the day I always let my superiors know. Its my decision, do what you gotta do if you don’t agree.
i travel on service 91 every day to get to school, i wasn’t on the bus the day of this incident but to hear of it was bad enough, not too long before this incident the MacEwans volvo B10M picked up schoolkids with the bus bellowing with smoke, the cripled coach made it from Biggar to peebles and half way back before the turbocharger blew, there was a loud bang and flames lept from underneathe the bus, the driver then decided to abandon it in the middle of a small forrest forcing the schoolkids and 2 elderly people to get off onto a soggy verge, about 10 minutes after everyone got off another MacEwans B10M arrived en reute to peebles, that bus then turned at a junction to take the 27 schoolkids and 2 elderly home towards biggar, this left people at stobo castle stranded as they wanted to get to peebles! later on that evening the bus was taken away to MacEwans yard were it was seen to and it is currently back in service, to most people the bus appears to still have something wrong with it because wenever it goes to change gear the bus jolts and sounds as iff it can’t find the gear. Munro’s of Jedburugh are currently running a service between peebles and biggar temporarily until the contract comes up for renewal.