Worries over school buses as operator stops trading

Parents have been scrambling to arrange alternative school transport for their children after a bus company stopped trading.

Felixstowe Travel, which announced on Friday it would cease operations, ran three routes to Farlingaye High School in Woodbridge, Suffolk.

Lucy Ainsley, one of the affected parents, said she had paid the company in advance, and there had been a "lack of notice and clarity surrounding the scenario".

The BBC has contacted Felixstowe Travel for comment.

Ms Ainley, who said the announcement gave "incredibly short notice", has two children needing school transport, and she now has to pay another operator.

"We are left in the dark and feel we have been really miscommunicated with," she said.

She added that another bus company had stepped in for now.

"We don't know what that's going to look like moving forward, but we are extremely grateful that they've managed to arrange something at pace."

Farlingaye parents have been organising transport with operators including Thompsons Coaches and Stanfields Transport.

Robert Rogers, transport manager at Thompsons, said he had provided a 70-seater coach for 62 students.

"The plan is to set something up a bit more permanently," he said.

"We run a fleet of coaches and with the extra driver we have, I could make it work. It seemed the right thing to do."

In an email seen by the BBC, Felixstowe Travel said: "We have made the school aware and are working with them as much as we can to inform them of all the children who will be affected by this.

"We understand that this will come as a shock and a huge inconvenience to you all, and for that we sincerely apologise.

"We thank you for your custom over the years and once again apologise for letting you down at this short notice. It was completely out of our hands."

The BBC has contacted Farlingaye High School for comment.

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