The parents association in Larnaca has raised concerns over repeated cancellations of school bus routes, saying hundreds of pupils and their families have faced serious disruption.
In a statement, the federation strongly criticised Cyprus Public Transport, which operates school transport services in Larnaca, alleging that scheduled routes have repeatedly been cancelled, leaving pupils without transport to and from school.
The federation called on the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works to intervene immediately and warned that organised parents would respond strongly if the situation is not resolved.
Parents demand immediate intervention
The federation said it considered it “unacceptable and unjustifiable” for pupils to be deprived of safe and uninterrupted transport to school, particularly when the service constitutes a contractual obligation and families pay the required fare.
It said repeated problems had occurred since the beginning of the school year, with scheduled routes not being operated as planned.
According to the federation, the disruptions have affected hundreds of pupils and their families, while repeated complaints have so far failed to produce a permanent solution.
The federation said it had already been informed that a specific school bus route serving the Alethriko area would not operate on Thursday.
Calls for permanent solution
The parents’ federation said any misconduct by pupils should not be used as grounds for cancelling school routes or penalising students who were not responsible for such behaviour.
It noted that organised parents had repeatedly condemned incidents of misconduct in the past and had called on the authorities to take effective measures.
However, it argued that such incidents should be addressed separately and should not result in the withdrawal of transport services for pupils.
The federation called on the Transport Ministry to “take immediate responsibility” and intervene decisively to ensure that all agreed school routes operate safely and as scheduled.
“It cannot be acceptable for pupils to be left without transport and for their attendance at school to be disrupted without immediate and effective intervention by the competent authorities,” it said.
Parents warn of further action
The federation is seeking the immediate restoration of all affected routes and a permanent solution to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
It warned that, if the situation is not resolved, the response from organised parents would be “strong and dynamic”, with the aim of protecting the right of all pupils in Larnaca city and district to safe and uninterrupted transport to and from school.
A delegation from the federation is expected to be in the Alethriko area on Thursday in support of the affected pupils.
Source: CNA
