A PENSIONER has said a bus service which is constantly too full has resulted in her great grandchildren being told they cannot get on during the busy morning school run.

Great grandma Maggie Honess says her family cannot afford to keeping forking out for taxi fares, or contacting family members to pick up her great grandchildren, after the X11 is often too full to let them on.

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Dorset Echo: (Left) Concerned parent Penny Batterbee along with Ava, 9 (central), and Layla, 10, (fourth from right) with their great grandmother Maggie Honess (far right)(Left) Concerned parent Penny Batterbee along with Ava, 9 (central), and Layla, 10, (fourth from right) with their great grandmother Maggie Honess (far right)

Mrs Honess, aged 70, said her great grandchildren 10-year-old Layla and nine-year-old Ava would usually get on the X11 at their stop in Symonds Court, Charminster, before making the 3.5-mile journey to St Osmund's School, but she said they have been repeatedly told the bus is 'too full'.

Mrs Honess, who lives in Symonds Court, said: "They have been using the bus service since school started earlier this month, but more often than not they've been told they're not allowed to get on by the bus driver because it's too full.

"It wasn't an issue last year, but there seems to be a lot more pupils from St Osmund's and Thomas Hardye School getting on the X11.

"My granddaughter Danielle is having to pay for taxi fares to get them into school - or rely on other family members to drive from Dorchester to Charminster to pick them up. It's not fair and cannot continue.

"If they don't get into school because of this inadequate service, then the parents receive a fine."

Mrs Honess, along with her grandchild Danielle Puncher, 29, who is the mother of Layla and Ava, both said they would like to see another bus service provided.

"My granddaughter Danielle is a care worker and she is getting increasingly frustrated," said Mrs Honess.

"It's stressful who have to work not knowing if their children are getting to school safely.

"Even for the children who are able to get on the bus, some smaller children are being forced to stand during their journey to school on a packed, swaying bus - it's not safe for them."

Dorset Echo:

The X11 is run by private firm South West Coaches which run a contract with Dorset Council.

A Dorset Council spokesman said: "When we commission school transport we stipulate the number of seats needed to transport children to school.

"We're working with South West Coaches to ensure they are using the correct sized vehicle.

"We're investigating claims that the X11 is overcrowded.

"There are reports that a number of St Osmund's School children have stopped using the bus due to being unable to load. However, we have only one child from St Osmund's that is scheduled to be on the X11."