THE school bus run which have transported students from Grandchester to Mount Mort for more than 60 years has been cancelled.
The bus run has been part of the Hogan family’s life for three generations ever since Cedric Hogan started the run using an FJ Holden ute in 1958.
In 1980, Cedric sold the business to his daughter-in-law Glenice Hogan and she went on to drive the bus for 28 years.
In turn, Glenice sold the business to her daughter Janelle Topp in 2008 who continued the family tradition until the service was cancelled this year.
Member for Scenic Rim Jon Krause has called on the Education Department to reinstate the run but in the meantime life has had to change for at least one resident who relied on the service.
Mt Mort resident Samantha Wallis said she was shocked when she received a letter in the mail the week before school resumed stating that the service had been cancelled.
“We own our own property at Mt Mort and one of the positives in the area was a bus run, my children would still use the service for an additional eight years, so I was quite upset to have received the news,” she said.
“It did come in handy for our family. I work full time and I have one child who goes to Laidley High School and one child that goes to Grandchester State School.
“As of last year, there were four children who would use the service daily, this number would vary from year to year, though this has been the lowest it has been for some time.
“I have older children also who have caught this bus from 2006, so it has been a great link from our home to school for our family.”
Samantha expressed disappointment in the service leaving the country area, saying just another service that country children are missing out on.
“I want to sincerely thank the Hogan and Topp family for their service and dedication to the community for so long,” she said.
“Each and every day they have given their time to the whole community and have gone above and beyond to make sure our children arrive to school each day safe.
“The commitment and the loyalty that they have shown to us is just amazing.”
Samantha has had to make changes as she now has to drive her children to school in between work commitments.
“Of course, as parents you are going to do whatever it takes to ensure your children get to school on time and safe each day,” she said.
“Though sometimes the impact on upholding a job and having to be in so many places at the one time takes a toll.
“My days are very busy with having to fit in with school drop off and pick up times, and on average I am clocking up to 60 kilometres a day.
“A service that was so reliable and helpful has closed in the area, though the positive and friendly impact it made on so many families for so long will never be forgotten.”
Member for the Scenic Rim Jon Krause said that the Government should reinstate this route immediately.
“Country kids and families need school bus support too and they deserve better from this Brisbane centric government,” he said.
“Some of the people who make these decisions probably do not know where Mount Mort is, let alone the challenges faced by families who might juggle work with running a farm and getting children to school in Grandchester and high school in Laidley.
“For the Government to claim it costs too much is an absolute joke, we do not see Citytrain services cut because of lower use, because they’re a service.
“Not to mention the millions wasted by this Government in other areas.
“If they can find money for those things, they can surely find money for school bus services.
“Getting kids to school is essential, across the area I represent.
“Queensland Transport has been putting the squeeze on bus routes for years under this Labor Government with cutting some, making others longer and reducing payments to bus operators, all absolute penny-pinching behaviour.
“It is a disgrace and it needs to be called out, Annastacia Palaszczuk should reinstate this service immediately.”
The Moreton Border News contacted Transport and Main Roads and a TransLink spokesperson said that TransLink’s priority is to provide accessible, efficient, customer-focussed services for the people of Queensland.
“In October last year, we undertook a Grandchester school bus service review, which included consultation with the bus operator, families of students using the service and the principals of both Grandchester State School and Laidley State High School,” the spokesperson said.
“The review considered a range of factors, including passenger needs and utilisation, bell time and school catchment changes, safety concerns, operational requirements and network efficiency.
“In late 2021, the number of service users reduced to just four distance eligible students.
“Under the School Transport Assistance Scheme policy, the closure of a service will be assessed by TransLink if the number of distance eligible students falls below six and the cost of the service is excessive with declining numbers.
“A decision was therefore made to close the service in 2022, a possibility that was raised with the families by the operator at the beginning of the review.
“All stakeholders were notified of the closure as soon as possible, while students currently using the service remain eligible for the School Transport Assistance Scheme.
“We will continue to monitor growth and demand in the area, and assess customer feedback in conjunction with the bus operator to identify potential service improvement opportunities in the future.”
