A TRANSPORT watchdog has slammed the county council over the on-going school bus chaos.

TravelWatch SouthWest is also demanding a full independent inquiry and says parents should be reimbursed for the expenses they have incurred getting their children to class.

The council has launched an internal investigation but it will not report for almost two months.

Blandford-based company Damory Coaches took over the local authority school transport contract this summer following a council shake up to cut costs.

But the new system has been condemned as ‘shambolic’ by parents and schools.

The council increased the cost of a concessionary pass from £250 to £400 resulting in hundreds of youngsters choosing to take public transport which is now straining under the increased pressure.

Dozens of children have also been left at the roadside as buses have failed to turn up.

Parents say that their children now have to leave home much earlier to get to school and arrive home much later.

The public transport passenger watchdog for the region, say they have been ‘inundated’ with emails and telephone calls from parents, students and teachers over the past fortnight.

It said the calls related to the ‘widespread failure to deliver the advertised school transport to and from colleges and schools in the county.’ Gordon Edwards, a director of TravelWatch SouthWest said: “Dorset County Council has failed to provide safe, secure and reliable ‘home-to-school’ transport for hundreds of college and school attendees during the first two weeks of the new academic year.

“A full independent investigation is now required into this unacceptable and totally avoidable crisis to ensure that ‘all the lessons are properly learnt’.

“Compensation must also be paid by both the bus company and the local authority for this very worrying fiasco.” He added: “The county council has totally failed in the responsibility to transport pupils and students safely, securely and reliably to colleges and schools.

“The Dorset County Council cabinet member for children services has announced ‘an internal investigation to probe into the issues.’ “Parents, students and teachers want a full independent investigation into the ‘debacle’ – not a ‘whitewash’ – and immediate reim-bursement of additional travelling expenses resulting from the failure to provide the advertised service and compensation.”

The watchdog said key concerns include children being ‘left at the roadside’ for long periods waiting for non-existent or ‘late-running’ buses, insufficient capacity onboard the buses and children being unable to board and school bus drivers not knowing the route and needing guidance from passengers.

Other concerns have been complainants’ inability to contact Damory Coaches or the local authority.

Dorset County Councillor Brian Ellis welcomed the watchdog’s report.

He said: “There’s a ‘call to account’ going to take place at County Hall, which means the audit commission is going to be carrying out a full investigation.

“I think TravelWatch SouthWest is speaking for the public at large.

“I’m very pleased and hope the call to account is rigorous and looks at every aspect that’s surrounded this nonsense.”