THE dad of a new Winsford Sir John Deane’s sixth former who’s been refused entry onto crowded buses says ‘woeful’ services create ‘a barrier to aspiration’. 

On Tuesday, September 10, Stuart Knowles had to drive his 16-year-old daughter and three of her friends to school after D&G Bus’s 31 and 37 rush hour services were already full by the time they reached Winsford from Sandbach.

This is not the first time D&G’s school run services have come under the spotlight. Instances of 42-route services between Middlewich and Holmes Chapel failing to stop for school children were also reported earlier this year.

Stuart says he hadn’t imagined there would be a problem travelling between the two towns when his daughter decided she wanted to attend the Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ Sir John Deane’s. 

Convinced this will be an ongoing problem, he approached D&G to ask for more services, or whether double-decker buses could be put on at peak times, but was told this isn’t an option.

While he’s able to drive his daughter at the moment, thanks to working from home, as he tends to work on short-term contracts, this could change at any time.

Stuart said: “The local public transport is woefully inadequate, and what’s worse, no one seems to care about it.

“My daughter’s bus starts in Sandbach, goes through Middlewich, then by the time it gets to Winsford, it’s full.

“When you live in a big town or city, you take it for granted you can get anywhere, but living in Winsford feels like living on an island.

“I’ve spoken to the college and they seem to think it isn’t their problem.

“I’ve also spoken to D&G and they just say, ‘it is what it is’.

“You’re encouraged to buy a monthly ticket for a small discount, but what’s the use of doing it if you can’t get on the bus?

“Sir John Deane’s is a wonderful educational establishment in Northwich, and there is no sixth form provision at all in Winsford.

“Not being able to get there under your own steam feels like a barrier to aspiration, and it’s just not acceptable.

“I suspect there will be other parents too who are feeling let down by D&G Buses.”

A spokesman for Sir John Deane’s College said as far as it’s concerned, this is an isolated incident, and chose to make no further comment.

A spokesman for D&G Buses said: “We provide full-size buses on this route with a capacity of around 70 seated and standing passengers.  

“These are the largest buses we have in our fleet and have been used on this service since we started operating it. 

“Regrettably, we don't have available resource at peak times to provide additional vehicles on the route, we can only carry the maximum number of passengers permitted for the vehicle.”