Busing changes to C.B.S. school upset mom

A mother in Conception Bay South is fighting back against changes that mean her two children will soon no longer be able to ride the bus to school.

Alice Taylor said she was last week sent a letter stating that because of overcrowding, and the fact that her home is within the 1.6-kilometre cutoff for busing, her children will have to find another way to get to St. George's Elementary.

"It's weird," said Taylor, who added she was aware they live just within the cutoff range, 1.5 kilometres away from the school, but that her children's stop on Conway's Brook Road had always been on the bus route.

"It's always been a bus stop. and why enforce it now?" questioned Taylor, whose children are nine and 11.

The changes go into effect on Thursday.

"I know the bus is overcrowded, but they can change the buses around. There's three buses that do go to the school," she told the St. John's Morning Show.

"They can change it around so that everybody can get on the bus safely and not have to walk to school."

Several families in same boat

Taylor said so far she's gotten no traction on her solution to simply revamp the routes, despite attempting to talk to the school administration, the school board, the bus company and the Department of Education.

"They wouldn't hear tell of it first, they were just basically saying, 'no, you're within the 1.6, you have to walk,' " said Taylor.

There are several of families in the same boat, according to Taylor.

People are flying up and down the road, sidewalks are never plowed, it's just crazy.- Alice Taylor

For her situation, Taylor said she'll have to change around her work schedule in order to drive her children to school.

"I'm not having them walk four lanes of traffic. I mean, the roads in C.B.S., people are flying up and down the road,sidewalks are never plowed, it's just crazy. No, I can't have my kids walk."

Taylor said her online petition has topped 60signatures, and she'll continue to press the issue with school administrators, as well as the party candidates in her district, until the issue is solved.

"I'm very determined," she said.