THE latest report on the school transport chaos reveals there are a number of drivers supplied by the main operator who have not been checked for criminal offences.

The damning report goes on to state a catalogue of errors including drivers not knowing the routes or even how many children were on the bus.

Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance is an essential check for adults who work with children.

While it is not clear how many Damory Coaches drivers got behind the wheel without getting clearance, the report cites an example of one unchecked driver in charge of a service in which young children were forced to walk unsupervised along a busy road.

Dorset’s school transport system descended into chaos at the start of the school year in September after Dorset County Council raised the cost of a concessionary ticket from £250 to £400 and changed operators to Damory Coaches.

Other findings of the report were that: n The number of formal complaints has risen from 38 to 41 (Although there were several hundred calls of complaint) CRB clearance of drivers is a major issue.

Damory Coaches did not have enough drivers.

Damory did not communicate its problems.

Damory did not have adequate depot space in Dorset – for example 30 spaces were needed in Dorchester but only eight were arranged.

A number of drivers did not have up to date bus routes – the last routes were received from DCC on August 19 to most operators. Damory received theirs on August 26 but a lack of printers in depots meant some were not circulated to drivers in time.

Extra drivers were brought in that did not know the area or routes.

DCC did not provide passenger up to date lists to the operators – so no one knew how many children should be on each bus.

Not all routes had been time tested by bus operators.

This detailed report by DCC chief executive David Jenkins is part of a full investigation by the county council.

It will be discussed at an Audit and Scrutiny meeting on Thursday.

Mr Jenkins says in the report: “It has been established that there are a number of drivers awaiting CRB authorisation in line with Dorset County Council’s Criminal Records Bureau Clearance Policy.

“DCC has made it clear to Damory that any driver who is still waiting the correct CRB clearance must not drive.”

An example is given of one driver who did not have CRB clearance who drove a bus in Christchurch in which a four-year-old girl missed her stop and two nine-year-olds got off the bus to ensure she got home safely. All three were picked up by a worried mum. The driver no longer drives on any school service for Dorset County Council.

The report adds: “The main operator allowed a number of issues to escalate towards unmanageable levels without informing DCC.

“It would appear that the main operator did not pay due care and diligence to the safe and successful delivery of the contract.”

DCC was not aware of any problems until after the start of the school term and that emails from the former managing director of Damory provided assurances everything was okay.

It is suggested by Damory that mobilisation time from being awarded the contact on May 17 to starting the services in September was not enough to meet requirements.

Damory told the investigators it did not feel it could come to DCC with a problem because of the potential loss of business.

The report found that senior managers from Damory were not available for crisis meetings with the council because they were out driving buses.

Damory Coaches, as a subsidiary of Go South Coast – part of the national Go Ahead Group – was awarded the contract earlier this year.

Damory secured 93 per cent of the public transport and 88 per cent of main home to school transport routes from September.

There is now a legal argument ongoing into whether Damory Coaches was contractually tied to obligations because it didn’t ever formally sign and return contracts.

The council is disputing the company’s ability to change the contract at this point.

The managing director of Damory Coaches Andrew Wickham said he was analysing the report’s findings.

He will make a comment at the meeting on Thursday.

Parents' anger at the service

WEYMOUTH mum Kati Eastwood, has slammed the way that the school bus arrangements were organised.

She was livid at the start of term because her 13-year-old daughter could not be picked up near their home, and was told to walk more than three miles to get to Wey Valley School.

She said: “To me what’s imperative here is that our children get to school safely and that is not what happened.

“The previous system by First was perfect – now it is far from that – the changes have made my life utter hell collecting my children."

Watchdog's biggest isssue this year

DORSET’S school bus changes have been a transport watchdog’s biggest issue so far this year.

TravelWatch South West has been inundated with calls by furious parents.

Director Gordon Edwards said: “My view of the county council is that they are under huge financial pressure and they tried to rush this without consideration of what would happen to the children.

“On top of that I am speechless at Damory.

“Every morning they allowed hundreds of children to be left on the side of the road at bus stops. It was just a complete shambles.”