Students in the Larnaca district have been left without transport to school for several days following the cancellation of scheduled school bus routes, prompting criticism from organised parents and calls for immediate intervention by the Transport Ministry.
The Larnaca Federation of Secondary School Parents and Guardians Associations says the decision by Cyprus Public Transport, which operates the school routes, has deprived some pupils of safe and uninterrupted transport to and from school.
The company’s decision to cancel routes follows serious complaints from bus drivers over alleged unacceptable and disruptive behaviour directed at them, as well as deliberate damage caused to buses by some students.
Parents say pupils are being penalised
In a statement dated 16 September, the federation described the situation as unacceptable and unjustified, particularly as school transport is a contractual service for which families pay the required fee.
Parents said they have repeatedly condemned misconduct by students and have previously called on the authorities to introduce effective measures to address such behaviour.
However, they argued that incidents involving some pupils cannot justify the complete cancellation of school routes or penalise students who bear no responsibility.
The federation maintains that every pupil should be able to travel safely and reliably to and from school.
Problems since start of school year
According to the federation, difficulties with school transport have occurred repeatedly since the beginning of the new academic year.
Several scheduled routes have allegedly not operated as planned, causing considerable disruption to hundreds of pupils and their families.
Parents expressed particular concern that repeated complaints have yet to produce a permanent solution.
The federation said it had also been informed that a specific school route from Alethriko, in the Larnaca district, would not operate on Thursday, 17 September.
Call for Transport Ministry intervention
The federation is calling on the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works to intervene decisively and ensure that all agreed school routes operate safely and consistently.
It said pupils cannot be left without transport to school, particularly when cancellations disrupt their education, without an immediate and effective response from the competent authorities.
Organised parents are also calling for the restoration of all affected routes and a permanent solution to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
They have warned that they could resort to stronger protest action if the issue is not resolved conclusively, stressing that the right of all pupils across the city and district of Larnaca to safe and uninterrupted school transport must be protected.
