RESIDENTS have voiced concerns over buses travelling to and from a Wokingham school.
Some parents of students at Bohunt School, Arborfield, have cited worries about the frequency and operating of services.
During the first week back to school, parents said the morning service was unable to accommodate all students, meaning some students were forced to walk into school.
Services have also reportedly left stops earlier than scheduled.
Peter Barnes, whose daughter attends the school, said: “There’s been a gradual reduction in services over the years. There used to be a couple of buses.
“On the way home, one would leave straight after the bell, and another an hour later.
“Reading Buses won’t run [another] service because they’re not making money. We’re looking at it from a business perspective.
“The council needs to provide a non-profit service to get kids to school in a timely manner.”
Mr Barnes believes encouraging students to take the bus can have a positive impact on the next generation’s approach to sustainable travel.
The Leopard 3 currently offers access to the school from Reading, Shinfield and Finchampstead.
In recent years, the 92 and 93 buses have taken students to Bohunt, before both were withdrawn.
According to parents, the current service has led to some students having to walk back to stops earlier on the route to secure a seat.
Reading Buses, who run the Leopard 3 service, said it will continue operating to and from the school and Reading in the same way as the previous academic year.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We have however amended an afternoon journey towards Wokingham to call at the school at the request of Wokingham Borough Council to better serve after school clubs, but this is not intended to replace the dedicated home to school service that the council provides at the end of the day.
“We have investigated reports of full buses, but have not found any evidence from our drivers or ticket data that supports this, and would be happy to hear from anybody who has experienced a problem to help them resolve it.”
Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways, said: “Both the Reading-bound and Wokingham-bound Leopard 3 buses, a commercial service operated by Reading Buses, pick up students at Bohunt at 4:36pm on school days.
“We are aware there was an issue one day last week with one of the buses leaving early due to an internal communication issue, but on all other days the buses were there at the correct time.
He said the council had checked data for the service during the week in question and confirmed the highest volume of passengers was 46. The Leopard 3 has a maximum capacity of 70.
Cllr Fishwick said the issue had been raised with Reading Buses and the council would work with the company to monitor the route.
