I am writing on behalf of the inhabitants of Mathieu and Ferryboat Roads whose children attend the Pierre Dalais Government School at Grande-Rivière-Sud-Est (GRSE). I am bringing to your kind notice the grievances concerning the new bus contractor whose services have been retained to provide transport facilities for the students from Deux Frères to GRSE and back.

The grievances are the following :

(I) Since January 2004, the bus no longer enters Mathieu Road and Ferry Boat Road.It has only one collecting point at Royal Road where the pupils have to wait for the bus and as such are exposed to either the scorching sun or the rain as no shleter exists in the surroundings. It has often happened that all of them have been drenched in the rain and could not follow classes. Despite several requests made to the bus driver, he refuses to collect the pupils at Fattingum Shop at Mathieu Road as it was done before. This shop provides these students shelter and prevents them from being exposed to the sun and rain.

(II) It has also been noted that there is no driver?s assistant most of the time and all the students are unattended in the bus during the whole trip. It has also been reported that in the month of January the bus had a breakdown on the way to school and the driver just locked the doors and left all the students on their own as he went for a mechanic... The students were left unattended for more than one hour. It would be appreciated if immediate actions are taken by the authorities.

N. Bedassur