School pupils from Usk were squeezed onto a public bus on the first day of the new school term last week, leading to criticism of the lack of direct school transport for all learners.

Students from Usk, who were making the journey to Monmouth on the first week of the new school term, were travelling to school on a public bus, route 60, on Thursday morning with one passenger’s photograph depicting the cramped conditions. Not all school students in Monmouthshire get direct transport to the school gates arranged, with some told to board regular services if they are deemed to live close enough to a public route.

Now, Senedd Member, Laura Anne Jones MS, has weighed in on the debate and criticised the council’s policy.

As many as 51 pupils were already standing from Usk on the jouney to Monmouth, as pictured by a pupil, before many more students got on in Raglan and at other stops en route to Monmouth.

“I pressed MCC to act urgently and now a bigger bus has been promised for Route 60, for which I am grateful, but whether that will be adequate remains to be seen,” Ms Jones said.

“The Labour MCC policy, supported by a Plaid Cymru Welsh Government, has taken away home-to-school transport from even more children this year and put them on unsuitable public transport. It also charges extortionate prices for the services the council does provide, punishing those who live in rural areas and making sixth-formers pay for the bus themselves every day. These are the wrong policy decisions.”

“It’s not good for pupils’ wellbeing to stand around in the cold and wet, endure lengthy waits for a public bus.”

“Children should not suffer because governments at both levels are making bad decisions and have the wrong priorities.”