PARENTS and pupils are livid that an essential bus will no longer be stopping at Deer Park School and Cirencester College.

The bus 77, which serves Cirencester, Lechlade and Fairford, was operated by APL but was taken over by Stagecoach West on Monday, August 8, with the route and frequency of the bus changed by Gloucestershire County Council.

The Standard reported in August that short notice changes in the frequency of the bus service meant that residents in Lechlade and Fairford could not get to hospital appointments, see their family in Swindon, or get to work in Cirencester.

With children now back at school, parents in Cirencester are angry over the lost service.

Claire Bloomer’s 14-year-old daughter, Amy, at Deer Park School, and 16-year-old son, Koner, at Cirencester College, have been left to walk to and from school every day for an hour from their home at the Coriniuim Via.

The bus which Amy used now terminates at South Way in Cirencester at 8.30am, meaning that she only has 20 minutes to walk from the old Job Centre to her school.

Claire said: “I think it’s appalling. I know that sending my children to school is my responsibility but I do need to work.

“I do worry about my daughter walking on her own in winter in the dark. She’s rather upset about it. She walks on her own.”

Kelly May, who lives in Stratton, also has a 14-year-old daughter attending Deer Park School.

Following the bus service changes, Kelly’s daughter now has to walk 40 minutes to and from home.

She said: “My daughter can’t do the new bus times or route, it’s impossible.

“They used to have a coach that I paid for, but she rarely gets that now as it is now open to the public, and the kids have to sit with the college kids who were swearing and smoking. She stopped the coach because she felt intimidated.

“Walking to and from school is alright when the weather is nice. But when it’s raining, I get a phone call to pick her up.

“It’s not ideal as it affects my job.

“It also affects her as she used to get home by about 4pm. Now, she’s home after 5pm, and by the time she gets home, she’s exhausted.

“She tends to hang around town now to wait until my husband comes back from work.

“I think it’s terrible. That’s what the buses are for. Make sure children get home safely and back again.

“My other daughter, age 10, is starting at Deer Park School next September and I don’t want her walking.

“It will be a big change for her having to walk to and from school for that distance. I can’t see how she can get a good days’ work out of it.”

A spokesperson for Stagecoach West said: “The 77 service contract is a county council tendered service which means the route and frequency are decided by them rather than Stagecoach West.

“The service changes came into effect today instead of September as originally planned as the current operator refused to continue the service when advised they had not won the tender.

“It's unfortunate and highly unusual that a service change be made so abruptly however under the circumstances Stagecoach West had to step up to the plate far sooner than anticipated.”

Cirencester Town Council deputy mayor Nigel Robbins said: “For younger children now, either their parents have to take them from their homes in the Corinium Via or the Beeches area, or they have to get taxis.

“I can’t believe that the cost savings of not serving Deer Park School are significant to the authority.”

Leader of Cirencester Action on Buses (CAB) campaign, David Prewett, was said: “We are raising this issue with Gloucestershire Integrated Transport unit and await a reply from them.

“I am afraid that this is a problem which comes up time and time again where changes are made without consultation with users. Users are the people who can spot problems which planners miss.

“This was exactly the situation which created the formation of CAB some years ago when Stagecoach made sweeping changes in town services without any consultation.

“At that time we worked on behalf of users with petitions etc which resulted in new improved services being reintroduced.”

Alan Bently, Integrated Transport Manager at Gloucestershire County Council said: “The 77 bus service had not been well used and was costing the council more than £8 for each passenger’s return journey.

“This wasn’t value for money so we changed the service in the summer and the route now finishes in Cirencester town centre.

“There are still buses which run from the town centre to Deer Park School if schoolchildren would like to use them.

"For example, the 881 runs at 08.16 from outside Waitrose getting to a stop close to the school at 8.19am. There is also the 54A which runs from outside the Corn Hall at 8.40am arriving opposite the school at 8.45am.”

In response to concerns by parents, Chiquita Henson, headteacher of Deer Park School, said: "We were very sorry to learn of the withdrawal of the local commercial bus service that brought some of our pupils to and from the Beeches area before and after school.

"We appreciate the impact this may consequently have on families and hope that an alternative can be found."