TRANSPORT arrangements to help schoolchildren social distance have played havoc with the daily commute for some workers.

Lorraine Dearlove, who relies on the no74 to get from Pensilva into Liskeard for work in the morning, said she was ‘frustrated and angry’ to be refused entry onto the bus.

She says she’d been warned at the end of August that the service would be reserved for children, and had phoned Transport for Cornwall to express her concerns, only to be told that that was wrong – and that she would be able to alight.

But she says that from Tuesday, September 8, she was nonetheless not allowed by the bus driver onto the bus – and that others had the same experience.

“We are absolutely appalled with the bus company as we have no other way to get to our jobs,” said Lorraine.

“There are only about 10 children that get onto the no 74.

“After a long conversation with the company they said there is nothing they can do as it takes a long time to organise extra buses. Our argument is that they knew quite a while ago that the schools would be re-opening and should have made provisions for the general public that have to use this bus for work.”

Lorraine’s situation appears to have been caused by communication issues, as Transport for Cornwall said the no74 has never been a reserved service – and this week, she has been allowed onto the bus as normal.

But others in the district travelling on routes which have been reserved for students may well still be having problems – and Transport for Cornwall says it wants to hear from them.

At the end of August, Cornwall Council announced that 84 of the county’s more than 1,400 subsidised bus journeys would be reserved for schoolchildren only.

A further 25 routes, where large numbers of students were known to travel using bus passes, would have additional vehicles laid on: this was funded by the Department for Transport.

A list of journeys affected are on the Council website at www.cornwall.gov.uk/schooltransport

Cornwall Council portfolio holder for transport Geoff Brown said: “We’re asking the public to help by not travelling at peak times if possible, and to check before they set off that the bus journey they intend to travel on has not been changed to student use only.

“Any member of the public affected by a bus journey that has been changed to student use only should contact the transport team who will try to assist wherever possible with essential journeys.”

A spokesperson for Transport for Cornwall told the Cornish Times: “The 74 is open to the public, there are no closed ‘Student Only’ buses on this service.”