Kells pupils seek a '˜one stop' school bus service

The appeal comes from DUP Assemblyman Paul Frew and twin villages councillor William McCaughey who campaigned for a morning service to the school from Kells and Connor in the wake of the closure of Ballee High School.

Mr. Frew explained: “This issue goes back a number of years where we had urged Translink to provide a direct route from the villages into Dunclug College similar to the service provided for Ballee Pupils before the School closed. We have worked closely with Translink and we were very grateful when representatives met with concerned parents in the village and we were able to show numbers of pupils who would use the service and present a case to the manager.”

But getting back home is not so straightforward for Kells and Connor based schoolchildren, hence the new appeal to Translink.

DUP Cllr McCaughey added: “The morning service from the village direct to the school has proved a resounding success. Now we are asking Translink to provide the same service back home.

“Translink maintain that for all the pupils going into school in the morning a percentage will remain in School for extra curricular activities or stay in the town meaning that they cannot justify the business case for a direct route back home. “This means pupils, the vast majority who would use the service, have to travel on a bus to the station and get the connecting bus back home.”

Mr. Frew concluded: “We believe the tjustification is now there to provide the complete all round service. This will provide a safer route to and from school for these pupils and allow them to get home sooner to complete all important homework in a timely fashion, that’s what the parents are saying anyway!”