Article: No child will be stranded

[ozbob]

From the Sunshine Coast Daily click here!

No child will be stranded

No child will be stranded

Rae Wilson | 27th September 2011

TRANSLINK has renewed its promise to never leave a child behind as it continues to investigate why two 13-year-old girls were left stranded at Sunshine Plaza two weeks ago.

Despite this, the Daily has learned children were left behind at Landsborough railway station during the first week of school holidays because buses were too full.

A TransLink spokesman said Sunbus had advised it of extra demand at the Landsborough train station during the school holidays.

"As a result, Sunbus is now running extra buses to meet extra passenger loads, when needed," the spokesman said.

"Sunbus has also asked Queensland Rail to alert them if there are larger passenger loads before reaching Landsborough train station."

The mother of the girls left behind at the Plaza said the bus company contacted her yesterday and she was happy with the way the investigation was conducted.

She said she received an apology and was told the driver involved would probably receive further training.

"They made it clear no child is to be left," she said.

"I just wanted to know that the driver was aware this wasn't what should happen and the kids, anybody's kids would be safe. Obviously that's their priority too."

The girls tried to catch the last bus to Nambour on a Thursday night but one of them had lost her student ID and they did not have the money for an adult fare.

The bus driver refused to let them both on at student prices without IDs.

Transit Australia Group, which runs Sunbus buses on the Sunshine Coast for Translink, said Sunbus was still finalising its report before deciding on any necessary action.

But a spokeswoman said drivers were regularly put in "an awkward position" by students abusing the system by flouting ID policy rules.

She asked the public to remember that drivers had an obligation to ask students to show their ID.

"Students are well aware of the ID policy yet ignore it on a daily basis which places our drivers in an awkward position," she said.

"In many cases the drivers can confirm that the students who do not carry sufficient change or their ID are repeat offenders.

"Some teenagers will always test the system but the safety of our customers is our overriding priority."