SCHOOL’S CRASH BUS WARNING
HEADTEACHER OF BOY INJURED IN BRIDGE CRASH TELLS OF EARLIER BUS SERVICE ‘CONCERNS’
THE mother of a boy who needed hospital treatment after a bus full of schoolchildren hit a bridge in Cardiff has said concerns about the service have been raised in the past.
Llanishen High School pupil Mo Shenavari, 12, was sitting at the front on the top deck when the bus, run by New Adventure Travel, crashed into the bridge at Heath High level.
He was taken to hospital for treatment to a head injury after the collision on Wednesday morning.
Mo’s mum, Fatima, said that there have been problems with the service in the past.
She said: “I got a phone call from the police to say that my son had been injured in an accident and was on his way to hospital. We went straight there but it was a very bad experience and something I wouldn’t ever want to go through again.
“His head was pushed against the window because he was at the front of the bus on the top.
“They treated him at hospital and told us to keep a close eye on him.
“He had difficulty sleeping because he kept seeing the bridge coming close to the bus.
“There have been concerns about the bus service in the past so hopefully there will be an investigation into how this happened.”
Llanishen High’s headteacher has also said that concerns have been raised in the past.
In a letter to parents, Sarah Parry said: “The school bus service is the responsibility of Cardiff School Transport who currently commission New Adventure Travel as the service provider for Llanishen High School.
“As a school we have repeatedly raised concerns about this service I know that concerns have also been shared by parents.
“We have raised these concerns again today and have escalated them further at County Hall.
“We expect to see a significant response and improvement with regards to the service provided for our students.”
A Cardiff council spokesman said: “We have been in touch with NAT to seek clarity on how this incident happened.
“Although this is a commercial bus service that any member of the public can use, and as such comes under the jurisdiction of the Traffic Commissioner, the route is used by a lot of school children. Therefore, the local authority is actively seeking assurances from NAT that measures have been put in place to ensure that an incident like this will not happen again.”
A spokesman for NAT said: “We have nothing to add until the investigation is concluded.”