School Bus

[limlim]

I feel that, the only "valid" reason is that they oso need to eat for June/Dec, so they need the income. (same for childcare, schools etc…)


Fair enough… But, since we actually PAID for the service, we would expect to be served right? (If they wanna up the fares in other months or watever, I have nothing to say. But if they explicitly state that it is June/Dec fare, then, they should provide the service during that period)

It’s not difficult to arrange. The school admin just need to give them a call, saying so and so days got lesson and the timing. Then they just run normal route, and pick up ANYONE at the waiting area. If there is different classes, just use the earliest timing to be fair.

What’s so difficult?

Don’t you parents feel that we should try and fight for our rights?

Why we pay for the services but are not served? How different is it from daylight robbery?

[chloecube]

yup, that i how i felt too

i am staying in tampines and my son school is in Marin parade. i paid $124 one way trip per month
on days when he has to stay back after school for CCA or extra lesson, there is an additional charge of $5
as what limlim had said, i need to pay for June and Dec holiday even when my kid is having holiday
and no, they dun fetch my son during hoilday even when he needs to go bk to school.
his school bus journey takes abt 1.15-1.30 hr to reach home
after thinking abt it, i had decided to cancel the service from next month onwards.
i will ask my maid to fetch him from school instead, after all the calculation, the school bus cost more than public transport
i had also timed it, public buses doesnt take so long to reach home too

[Nebbermind]

acforfamily:

I guess it is just the industry standard, if you can call it that.

They can easily charge more for the other months and not collect June / December.

yup..agree! if they wanna get $xxx from u, they will get it one way or another, be it 12 mths or 10 mths!!

What I donch understand is how they school bus service works. It looks like some kinda monopoly which the school donch even have much say in the service level.

[ZacK]

In addition to the reasons cited above, I think we pay fees during school holidays is also in a way to "reserve" our child’s seat on the school bus… Imagine if you do not pay, technically they can offer your child’s seat to someone else… Which I think will cause a greater headache for us in terms of school transportation arrangements… So end up we "guai guai" pay.


In a way I agree that since we paid for their services during the school holidays they should send/drop our kids off… But activities during school holidays go outside of the usual school timings, some kids may be start and end earlier and some later… So it will be difficult to make arrangements to send/drop the kids under such situations.

[poppy15]

i remember during my pri sch days, the aunty (sch bus driver) wld even picked us up for those who are having their weekily sat ECAs/CCAs.


then during the sch hols, we hv to tell the aunty in advance if we need her service but its only from home to sch. js tell her what time is our class & she wld tell us what time she wld come to pick us.

now i think the bus operators wld want to have their own holidays too.

[limlim]

ZacK:

In addition to the reasons cited above, I think we pay fees during school holidays is also in a way to \"reserve\" our child's seat on the school bus... Imagine if you do not pay, technically they can offer your child's seat to someone else...


But activities during school holidays go outside of the usual school timings, some kids may be start and end earlier and some later... So it will be difficult to make arrangements to send/drop the kids under such situations.

That case wouldn't be so bad, at least you can choose whether or not to pay the june fees to \"book\" the seats. But now is, they collect Dec fees with Jan fees, and parent don't even hv a choice..

As for the 2nd part, as I mentioned earlier, they pick up at the earliest timing (to) and latest timing (back). It's up to the student whether to board or not.

[jasmine.041180tea]

i think most ccas have irregular timings and it would be quite hard if a lot of kids (from diff cca) want transport b4/aft ccas. somemore school bus transport is according to location of your house on right?

[limlim]

jasmine.tea:

i think most ccas have irregular timings and it would be quite hard if a lot of kids (from diff cca) want transport b4/aft ccas. somemore school bus transport is according to location of your house on right?

The school would hv the list of CCAs, and know the timings. So, they just take the earliest timing for the pickup, and the latest timing for the return, and inform the parents of the single fixed timing, as well as the bus operator. The bus will just run normal route. If there's a student waiting, just pickup, if not, just proceed. Parents can call the operators to ask about exact waiting time at their place.

So long as they provide the service, it's up to the students whether they want to take the transport.

Of coz, if the bus operators find it too much of the hassle, they can choose not to charge holiday bus fees and cease operations totally during the holidays. That is fair.

To charge user and yet not provide the service is not fair.

[blur-daddy]

Yes, I understand the frustration and I myself can't accept why we have to pay for Jun and Dec, knowing full well we are not using that service. Moreover, it was collected ahead of time. :nunchuk:


Below is my experience

1) In DS2 school, they only have one provider. Either you take it or leave it. Up to you. If you can't make alternative arrangement, you have to take whatever conditions they provide. Got one period of time, my DS2 reach home like 7.45pm, and by the time take dinner, easily 8pm. The distance is not that far, but more of bus route planning.Complaint to school and bus provider also to no avail.

2) For DS1 school, they have quite a number of bus providers and you get to choose. It is better as there is competition. But certain ground rules still apply i.e. you got to pay for holiday, and if you kid come back on odd hours due to CCA or enrichment etc. and not at 1pm or 6.30pm, but in-between, you got to pay extra $5 per trip back.

Bottom-line about paying for school holiday and not using their service is that, the bus uncles are still employ by the school bus company, and they still need their salary during school holiday. Just like MOE still pay all teachers during school holidays, and same for kindergarten teachers etc. during school holidays.WE GOT TO ACCEPT THIS lor.

And why not they provide limited services during school holiday? I suppose it is too erratic a schedule to arrange, and the volume is not there.

[limlim]

WCW:

Blurbee is correct
even we are on leave or on holidays we also get paid by our company, shldnt schl bus services also?
it is difficult for schl bus services to have special arrangement for each individual children, if they have 15-20 children then they will be very busy just by arranging this
some times just have to consider that people are also earning as a living mah, my thoughts lah

Let's consider another case, tuition classes (Not childcare or enrichment or dou dou classes). Do they operate during school holidays? From what I'm aware, you pay June/Dec fees and they operate during June/Dec also.

And, I guess you missed many of my posts. I mentioned that the bus run 1 trip per normal arrangement, they need not make special plans for each student. The school just inform the earliest timing for \"To\" and latest timing for \"Back\". It's up to the parents whether they wanna take it if it is too early or too late. No matter what, they already paid for it, so it should be provided.