MORE angry parents have hit out at a changes to school transport in Powys that has seen some pupils left stranded at the roadside and spending 12 hours away from home.

Changes to school and college bus routes by Powys County Council – including some less-used routes being axed entirely – arrived at short notice last week.

The changes saw some pupils left by the roadside in darkness, and others facing a long walk home.

The council has apologised for the issues but says the changes are necessary in order to meet climate goals.

An announcement on the Powys CC Passenger Transport Unit Facebook page last Friday said the council had undertaken an “enormous exercise” in optimising school transport routes, meaning some were no longer needed.

It said parents of those affected had been contacted by email, but mum Nikki Allen, said neither pupils, parents nor her 18-year-old daughter Sioned’s college in Newtown had been told of the cancellation of the college bus service, from Builth Wells.

“Neither myself, Sioned or the college knew anything about the cancellation until she went to meet the bus Monday morning and it didn't show,” said Nikki.

“She messaged the driver when she got to college and the driver was told on the Friday that the route was cancelled.”

Nikki said the public T4 bus is now acting as an overflow bus – but it is being shared with the public and is overcrowded, meaning taxis took Builth students home on Tuesday.

Ema Davies, from Cilmeri, near Builth, labelled the situation a “shambles”, adding: “Celtic Travel has been removed and Newtown College is now a T4 bus service, so kids stand all the way and have a 10-12 hour day."

James Morris, from Bwlch, said his son would have had to walk three miles home along a busy main road had he not been able to arrange a pick-up.

One mum, whose children were being taken by minibus to Kerry to meet the main bus route into Newtown, said that service had been withdrawn.

The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said: “It’s one thing taking them to meet the bus and being late for work, but when they come home at 3.30pm and they get the bigger bus to Kerry, who is going to pick them up? There’s a chance my son is going to be stranded in Kerry.

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“Nobody informed us there were going to be any changes. The first we heard about it was yesterday morning from the driver.”

Della Morgan’s daughter Libby, 14, had to catch her bus from Pontfaen to Brecon High School at 7.25am on Monday, arriving back 10 hours later, at 5pm.

“When they are dropped off they have to wait on the side of the road for a considerable amount of time by themselves until the other bus picks them up,” said a furious Della.

“There’s no bus shelter, no safe place. How do they expect them to concentrate in school with these extended days?"

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Despite being affected by the changes, Della said she didn’t receive any information from Powys until 3pm on Tuesday.

The council has apologised but says the changes are necessary to cut carbon emissions and "unnecessary spend".

Cabinet member for a greener Powys Councillor Jackie Charlton said: “Whilst the majority of these changes were implemented without any issues, there have been a number of problems in certain areas, for which we can only apologise.

“Our main concern now is to regularise the service for parents and pupils and apologise to those who have been directly affected.

“It is right that we keep our transport arrangements under constant review. Not only does this make financial sense but it is vitally important from a climate emergency perspective that we only operate the routes that we absolutely need to.”