The parents whose children all attend the new Holy Cross College in Strabane are marching in protest at the WELB’s withdrawal of a “vital” rural school bus service, which transported 53 pupils from the Glebe village into the Holy Cross College.

“The problems started when the WELB told parents in the Glebe that they were no longer providing a bus for pupils travelling to school in Strabane because the new Holy Cross school building is less than three miles away from the Glebe, so pupils are not entitled to free transport,” Mickey Hegarty, spokesperson for the Glebe parents told the ‘Journal’ yesterday.

“They have left us with two choices, either they take a shortcut and walk along a country road with no footpath or they walk where the footpaths is through Sion Mills which works out at 3.2 miles. If this is the case then they should be entitled to the bus because the safe walking route is over three miles, albeit there is a short cut just 20 yards short of the three miles but it is unsafe,” he said.

‘Serious concerns’

The Sinn Fein councillor for the area, Gerard Foley and party colleague MLA Claire McGill have expressed their “serious concerns” about the shorter route along the Peacock Road.

Colr. Foley said that he measured the proposed “shortcut” walking route for pupils from Peacock Road to the Holy Cross College on the Melmount Road in Strabane and it was “just 20 yards short” of the WELB’s three mile cut off point.

“It’s ridiculous that for the sake of 20 yards they are not providing these children with a free school bus and are forcing them to use a shortcut which is notorious for car accidents and has no footpath.

“The Peacock Road is a minor road however there are a number of businesses and farms located along the road so it can be very busy. Without a footpath these children’s lives are being put at risk if they use it to walk to and from school,” Colr. Foley said.

Conceding that Translink have replaced the WELB school route at a cost of £300 per child per year, Mr.