I'm not sure that the "leisure department" has buses. Schools charter buses from private companies to take pupils from school to sporting facilities, etc. I have no problems with what ever they wish to do as long as it doesn't cost us a brass bean more. This bus company has the council at their mercy. Why does St John's not use some of their budget to further subsidise the bus?
It matters not that a bus is standing idle if it owned by a profit making organisation.
The education department did support the children getting to school, by subsidising a bus. Then the private company which runs the bus network put up the price. The council can't afford it. Simple as that.
Can you suggest what the council should cut in order to subsidise the huge profits that National Express makes?
@davie1238 One suggestion could be: The Council can work in partnership with other departments i.e Lesiure, whose buses sit idle during the morning and evening runs - how about bringing those vehicles to help out the pupils in the morning and evening? Parents are still willing to pay or buy bus passes for that transport. Not asking for free transport. I'm sure if the Education Dept, Council, Parents & Bus co cooperate - a good solution can come out of this for the pupils.
The Council subsidised the bus. The greedy company wasn't happy with the subsidy. They wanted more. If the hard stretched council (in a mess because of the Tories inappropriate reaction to Labour's mess) do give them more, they will ask for yet more next year. Eventually all our council tax will go to pay for these poor wee things to go to school in Lochee when there is a good school only just up the road. We're living in the UK, not Norway.
Why is Ms Marra claiming it was the council who cut the bus service? The council didn't. Ms Marra knows this but is delibrately misleading the public as the council is SNP controlled.
I see that as the private company that runs Dundee’s buses did not find it “financially viable” to run a bus from the west end to St Johns! Ms Marra seems to think that we should all pay for the four kids in her video to continue to get a whole bus to school. Why can’t their parents bunce together and send them in a taxi?
I note that it passes the bottom of City Road, why can’t they get off there and walk up? When I was their age, in good weather. I walked from the Hilltown to the Harris Academy in the Perth Road, while when the weather was bad the nearest bus would have dropped me at the junction of Balgay Road and Blackness Road and I would have had to have walked from there.
Jenny you can’t always get the bus right to the door of MacDonalds and sometimes a bit of personal effort is not only required but is also good for you. Oh and by the way I needed PE kit and trumpet which I carried!
What has it got to do with the council? Are the buses in Dundee not run by National Express, a company in the business of making a profit? As I understand the buses in Dundee have not been under the control of Dundee City Council since 1975 when they were passed to the Tayside Region. After deregulation in 1986 ownership was passed to an arms length company called Tayside Public Transport Company Ltd which was eventually bought out by its employees in 1991 and was know as “Tayside Buses”.
The employees sold the company to National Express Group in 1997 who operated it as “Travel Dundee” a separate company under the group umbrella. In 2007 National Express decided to amalgamate their separate bus identities including Travel Dundee under the National Express banner and run them all direct from Birmingham. In view of these facts can Ms Marra explain how Dundee City Council could “reinstate” a route that was never in their gift to withdraw and had not been for 36 years?
@charliemyboy100 The parents of the affected pupils, (which incidently are 43 pupils who took the 4S), are not asking for free transport. We request an alternate bus route to the one presently in place (No.26). This bus takes 45 minutes from the City Centre to reach the St. John's which is just 2 miles away. Incidently the 4S which was well used by the pupils in the West End (not only 4 you saw on the clip) and office goers completed the journey in 20 minutes and reached school on time.
@123liveandletlive How refreshing to know that there are actually 43 kids that hitherto got the 4S. It’s a shame for Jenny, from a marketing point of view, that they decided not to get the bus the day she was shooting her video as lets face it 43 disadvantaged kids are much better than 4. Or are we to perhaps presume that the other 39 have already successfully made alternative arrangements?
@charliemyboy100 If you keep up with the media reports on this matter, which incidently does cover both sides of the story, you would not have such a one sided opinion. Its not only a matter of the pupils getting the bus- which arrives very early, its also relating to the congestion/pollution caused on the affected roads leading to the school and the pupils having to leg it with heavy bags. Please get your information right on what it is these pupils & parents are working towards.
@123liveandletlive I would point out that I was commenting on the video posted here on youtube by Ms Marra and her clarion call to Dundee City Council to “re-instate” the 4S. Also on her attempt to blow this matter out of all proportion by jumping on a bandwagon in order to make political mischief despite, I understand, being told by numerous people that buses in Dundee are the remit of a private company and not the council.
@charliemyboy100 But the education dept is the responsibility of the City Council & the pupils getting to school on time, without stress of being late for exams. Surely the education dept should support parents/pupils on this and the choice of school parents wish to send their kids to, even if another school sits in the back yard of the pupils from West End. The school of choice the pupils attend -St Johns is the feeder school to the primary the pupils attended - thus the bus issue.
@123liveandletlive I think you are mixing me up with another commenter there. I think I have made what I am saying perfectly clear. If you want to discuss that fine, please feel free to do so. But can you firstly limit yourself to things I have actually said and secondly try to remain on topic or at least understandable, so many mixed messages are hard to follow!
@charliemyboy100 Apologies - moving away from anyones political agendas, I think we are missing the point here that its the pupils who are bearing the brunt in all this. The parents are only trying to make the point that if the Council and bus company work together, a solution can be reached. The removal of the 4S without any consultation with the parents or school & the alternative 26 in its place does not work. Neither does taking 2 buses (4 in total) to and from school work.
@123liveandletlive Seeing as this is a video posted by a politician it is rather difficult to avoid the obvious political agenda don’t you think? It has been pointed out to Ms Marra that it is NOT in the gift of Dundee City Council to reinstate a bus service when the subsidy offered to the private company is not sufficient for it to continue to run it. No mention is made of this FACT in the video.
@123liveandletlive I would, therefore, call upon you to request that Ms Marra be more objective in her condemnation because this looks like a cynical attempt at political trouble making. And it is a shame that Ms Marra has seen fit to hijack this issue for some of the most obvious partisan politicking I have seen in a long time. Perhaps when that is done we can have a proper discussion of the underlying issues.
Thanks for taking the time to highlight concerns of pupils/parents in the West End of Dundee who relied on the 4S bus to get to school on time. It is outrageous that pupils have to take an alternate route/bus (26) with the journey time to school now being 45 minutes from the city. It is also a health & safety risk for pupils - with heavy bags & add on kits, music instruments. Further, attendance of new students at St. John's will be affected - its time the City Council took notice & acted.
@123liveandletlive What utter havers. They are kids. They get on and off buses, and that's a health and safety risk? Why don't we wrap them in cotton wool and have them home tutored in padded rooms? We used to walk through Balgay Hill, sometimes in the dark, carrying books and PE kit and sometimes musical instruments. The alternative was a long bus ride. My father used to walk 2 miles to the train station to get to school.
She's been told that it is in the hands of the bus company.
@davie1238 The health & safety risk relates to the kids having to carry bags of books weighing 3.5 to 5 kgs through the week, along with additional kits. Walk to and from school with this load and with winter setting in on slippery pavements. I'm sure Dundee's streets were more safe when your father attended school, times have changed now. Alternative buses set up don't assist with kids getting to school on time.
Incidentally, there is a school IN the West End, Harris Academy. It's the parents' choice to send their kids to the other side of the town. Perhaps the church would like to run a bus?
I'm not sure that the "leisure department" has buses. Schools charter buses from private companies to take pupils from school to sporting facilities, etc. I have no problems with what ever they wish to do as long as it doesn't cost us a brass bean more. This bus company has the council at their mercy. Why does St John's not use some of their budget to further subsidise the bus?
It matters not that a bus is standing idle if it owned by a profit making organisation.
davie1238 4 months ago
The education department did support the children getting to school, by subsidising a bus. Then the private company which runs the bus network put up the price. The council can't afford it. Simple as that.
Can you suggest what the council should cut in order to subsidise the huge profits that National Express makes?
davie1238 4 months ago
@davie1238 One suggestion could be: The Council can work in partnership with other departments i.e Lesiure, whose buses sit idle during the morning and evening runs - how about bringing those vehicles to help out the pupils in the morning and evening? Parents are still willing to pay or buy bus passes for that transport. Not asking for free transport. I'm sure if the Education Dept, Council, Parents & Bus co cooperate - a good solution can come out of this for the pupils.
123liveandletlive 4 months ago
The Council subsidised the bus. The greedy company wasn't happy with the subsidy. They wanted more. If the hard stretched council (in a mess because of the Tories inappropriate reaction to Labour's mess) do give them more, they will ask for yet more next year. Eventually all our council tax will go to pay for these poor wee things to go to school in Lochee when there is a good school only just up the road. We're living in the UK, not Norway.
davie1238 4 months ago
Why is Ms Marra claiming it was the council who cut the bus service? The council didn't. Ms Marra knows this but is delibrately misleading the public as the council is SNP controlled.
rogerbrown1888 4 months ago
I see that as the private company that runs Dundee’s buses did not find it “financially viable” to run a bus from the west end to St Johns! Ms Marra seems to think that we should all pay for the four kids in her video to continue to get a whole bus to school. Why can’t their parents bunce together and send them in a taxi?
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
I note that it passes the bottom of City Road, why can’t they get off there and walk up? When I was their age, in good weather. I walked from the Hilltown to the Harris Academy in the Perth Road, while when the weather was bad the nearest bus would have dropped me at the junction of Balgay Road and Blackness Road and I would have had to have walked from there.
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
Jenny you can’t always get the bus right to the door of MacDonalds and sometimes a bit of personal effort is not only required but is also good for you. Oh and by the way I needed PE kit and trumpet which I carried!
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
Is this not just a instance of Ms Marra making needless political mischief by flagging up a non-issue and exploiting kids into the bargain?
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
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What has it got to do with the council? Are the buses in Dundee not run by National Express, a company in the business of making a profit? As I understand the buses in Dundee have not been under the control of Dundee City Council since 1975 when they were passed to the Tayside Region. After deregulation in 1986 ownership was passed to an arms length company called Tayside Public Transport Company Ltd which was eventually bought out by its employees in 1991 and was know as “Tayside Buses”.
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
The employees sold the company to National Express Group in 1997 who operated it as “Travel Dundee” a separate company under the group umbrella. In 2007 National Express decided to amalgamate their separate bus identities including Travel Dundee under the National Express banner and run them all direct from Birmingham. In view of these facts can Ms Marra explain how Dundee City Council could “reinstate” a route that was never in their gift to withdraw and had not been for 36 years?
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
@charliemyboy100 The parents of the affected pupils, (which incidently are 43 pupils who took the 4S), are not asking for free transport. We request an alternate bus route to the one presently in place (No.26). This bus takes 45 minutes from the City Centre to reach the St. John's which is just 2 miles away. Incidently the 4S which was well used by the pupils in the West End (not only 4 you saw on the clip) and office goers completed the journey in 20 minutes and reached school on time.
123liveandletlive 4 months ago
@123liveandletlive How refreshing to know that there are actually 43 kids that hitherto got the 4S. It’s a shame for Jenny, from a marketing point of view, that they decided not to get the bus the day she was shooting her video as lets face it 43 disadvantaged kids are much better than 4. Or are we to perhaps presume that the other 39 have already successfully made alternative arrangements?
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
@charliemyboy100 If you keep up with the media reports on this matter, which incidently does cover both sides of the story, you would not have such a one sided opinion. Its not only a matter of the pupils getting the bus- which arrives very early, its also relating to the congestion/pollution caused on the affected roads leading to the school and the pupils having to leg it with heavy bags. Please get your information right on what it is these pupils & parents are working towards.
123liveandletlive 4 months ago
@123liveandletlive I clearly don’t keep up to date with the minutia of this parochial issue and let’s face it why would I?
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
@123liveandletlive I would point out that I was commenting on the video posted here on youtube by Ms Marra and her clarion call to Dundee City Council to “re-instate” the 4S. Also on her attempt to blow this matter out of all proportion by jumping on a bandwagon in order to make political mischief despite, I understand, being told by numerous people that buses in Dundee are the remit of a private company and not the council.
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
@charliemyboy100 But the education dept is the responsibility of the City Council & the pupils getting to school on time, without stress of being late for exams. Surely the education dept should support parents/pupils on this and the choice of school parents wish to send their kids to, even if another school sits in the back yard of the pupils from West End. The school of choice the pupils attend -St Johns is the feeder school to the primary the pupils attended - thus the bus issue.
123liveandletlive 4 months ago
@123liveandletlive I think you are mixing me up with another commenter there. I think I have made what I am saying perfectly clear. If you want to discuss that fine, please feel free to do so. But can you firstly limit yourself to things I have actually said and secondly try to remain on topic or at least understandable, so many mixed messages are hard to follow!
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
@charliemyboy100 Apologies - moving away from anyones political agendas, I think we are missing the point here that its the pupils who are bearing the brunt in all this. The parents are only trying to make the point that if the Council and bus company work together, a solution can be reached. The removal of the 4S without any consultation with the parents or school & the alternative 26 in its place does not work. Neither does taking 2 buses (4 in total) to and from school work.
123liveandletlive 4 months ago
@123liveandletlive Seeing as this is a video posted by a politician it is rather difficult to avoid the obvious political agenda don’t you think? It has been pointed out to Ms Marra that it is NOT in the gift of Dundee City Council to reinstate a bus service when the subsidy offered to the private company is not sufficient for it to continue to run it. No mention is made of this FACT in the video.
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
@123liveandletlive I would, therefore, call upon you to request that Ms Marra be more objective in her condemnation because this looks like a cynical attempt at political trouble making. And it is a shame that Ms Marra has seen fit to hijack this issue for some of the most obvious partisan politicking I have seen in a long time. Perhaps when that is done we can have a proper discussion of the underlying issues.
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
Comment removed
charliemyboy100 4 months ago
Thanks for taking the time to highlight concerns of pupils/parents in the West End of Dundee who relied on the 4S bus to get to school on time. It is outrageous that pupils have to take an alternate route/bus (26) with the journey time to school now being 45 minutes from the city. It is also a health & safety risk for pupils - with heavy bags & add on kits, music instruments. Further, attendance of new students at St. John's will be affected - its time the City Council took notice & acted.
123liveandletlive 4 months ago
@123liveandletlive What utter havers. They are kids. They get on and off buses, and that's a health and safety risk? Why don't we wrap them in cotton wool and have them home tutored in padded rooms? We used to walk through Balgay Hill, sometimes in the dark, carrying books and PE kit and sometimes musical instruments. The alternative was a long bus ride. My father used to walk 2 miles to the train station to get to school.
She's been told that it is in the hands of the bus company.
davie1238 4 months ago
@davie1238 The health & safety risk relates to the kids having to carry bags of books weighing 3.5 to 5 kgs through the week, along with additional kits. Walk to and from school with this load and with winter setting in on slippery pavements. I'm sure Dundee's streets were more safe when your father attended school, times have changed now. Alternative buses set up don't assist with kids getting to school on time.
123liveandletlive 4 months ago
Comment removed
davie1238 4 months ago
Incidentally, there is a school IN the West End, Harris Academy. It's the parents' choice to send their kids to the other side of the town. Perhaps the church would like to run a bus?
davie1238 4 months ago