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"SCHOOL BUS SERVICE NOT AN IMPROVEMENT," SAYS SURVEY OF PARENTS

Independent candidate for the seat of Tamworth in the forthcoming NSW State election Peter Draper has received over 520 responses from parents wishing to comment on the revised school bus schedule provided by Tamworth Coaches.

Mr Draper conducted the survey as a result of a meeting he convened between Tamworth and district Primary School Principals, representatives from Tamworth Coaches, and the Department of Transport. At the meeting Tamworth Coaches expressed their view that the new service was a significant improvement on the previous service however School Principals did not agree.

Mr Draper agreed to design and distribute a survey which would allow parents of children using the service to contribute to the debate. The survey was distributed during the last week of school term, and given the limited time allowed for parents to respond, Mr Draper was encouraged by the number of surveys completed.

Parents were asked to rate the new schedule, and also to compare the new schedule with the previous schedule offered by Tamworth Coaches. The responses are listed below.

Satisfaction Rating: New schedule vs. Old schedule:
Excellent ­ 16.1% Better ­ 16.7%
Satisfactory ­ 16.9% Same ­ 20.2%
Unsatisfactory ­ 36.6% Worse ­ 63.1%
Very Poor ­ 30.4%

The responses clearly show that of the surveyed group, 67% believe the new service is unsatisfactory or very poor, and 63% believe their children are worse off under the new schedule. It must be remembered that each respondent may be expressing their view on the current schedule as experienced by more than one child in the family, as many parents have two or more children travelling on the service currently being offered.

Responses varied greatly from school to school, with 82% of Hillview respondents rating the new service as "Excellent" or "Satisfactory", and 72% of Hillview's responses indicating the service was the same as, or better than, the old schedule.
Conversely, 96% of respondents from Kootingal rated the service as "Unsatisfactory" or "Very Poor", and 100% indicated the service was worse than the old schedule.

Responses by school are listed below:

School: Satisfaction Rating: New schedule vs. Old
Hillview Excellent ­ 45% Better ­ 27%
Satisfactory ­ 36% Same ­ 45%
Unsatisfactory ­ 9% Worse ­ 28%
Very Poor ­ 10%

Oxley Vale Excellent ­ 17% Better ­ 30%
Satisfactory ­ 42% Same ­ 32%
Unsatisfactory ­ 25% Worse ­ 38%
Very Poor ­ 16%

St Nicholas Excellent ­ 19% Better ­ 24%
Satisfactory ­ 29% Same ­ 12%
Unsatisfactory ­ 34% Worse ­ 63%
Very Poor ­ 18%

Tamworth South Excellent ­ 19% Better ­ 21%
Satisfactory ­ 38% Same ­ 20%
Unsatisfactory ­ 23% Worse ­ 59%
Very Poor ­ 20%

Nemingha Excellent ­ 10% Better ­ 10%
Satisfactory ­ 30% Same ­ 30%
Unsatisfactory ­ 40% Worse ­ 60%
Very Poor ­ 20%

Tamworth West Excellent ­ 8% Better ­ 8%
Satisfactory ­ 30% Same ­ 34%
Unsatisfactory ­ 35% Worse ­ 58%
Very Poor ­ 27%

St Edwards Excellent ­ 7% Better ­ 12%
Satisfactory ­ 27% Same ­ 17%
Unsatisfactory ­ 38% Worse ­ 71%
Very Poor ­ 28%

Tamworth Excellent ­ 12% Better ­ 18%
Satisfactory ­ 21% Same ­ 12%
Unsatisfactory ­ 34% Worse ­ 70%
Very Poor ­ 33%

William Cowper Excellent ­ 16% Better ­ 17%
Satisfactory ­ 0% Same ­ 0%
Unsatisfactory ­ 17% Worse ­ 83%
Very Poor ­ 67%

Kootingal Excellent ­ 0% Better ­ 0%
Satisfactory ­ 4% Same ­ 0%
Unsatisfactory ­ 61% Worse ­ 100%
Very Poor ­ 35%

Responses varied significantly in quantity between schools. Over 140 responses were received from St Edwards, while William Cowper had the lowest response rate with 16, as their school term had finished before distribution of the survey. Kootingal, which returned the least favorable result, received completed surveys from almost all parents surveyed. Mr Draper has also received a considerable number of responses sent by post to his home.

"While statistics can be used in any number of ways, this survey clearly demonstrates that there are a number of schools disadvantaged by the new schedule put in place by Tamworth Coaches," commented Mr Draper.

"Given that the survey was distributed in the last week before the Christmas school holidays, the number of responses makes it obvious that many parents wanted to express an opinion about the new schedule. I will pass Tamworth Coaches examples of specific problems facing Primary School children, but it is clear that the majority of parents surveyed are looking for an urgent review of the schedule to be undertaken," Mr Draper said.

"Since the new schedule was introduced, I am concerned by an alarming number of parents who have indicated they intend driving their children to school. This naturally will result in increased congestion around our schools. As bus travel is the safest way for children to be transported to and from school, it is in everybody's interest to see as many children as possible using a bus. I hope that Tamworth Coaches will listen to the many unhappy parents of our Primary School children, and introduce schedule improvements to address their concerns," he concluded.

End Release

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