Boy is barred from half-empty bus

Dylan Andrews is in his second year at Ysgol Brechfa.

A mother says it is "lunacy" her five-year-old son cannot travel to school on a half-empty bus with his friends.

Carmarthenshire council has said Dylan Andrews, from Abergorlech, cannot use the bus going to Ysgol Brechfa as he does not live in its catchment area.

However, two other children from the same village use it to get to the same school as Dylan.

The council said at some point in the future it planned to replace the bus with a car so there would be no room.

On the other hand, the council would pay for the youngster to use a taxi to take him from his home to nearby Llansawel School, but his parents do not want him to go there.

Dylan's mother Helen said they enrolled him at Ysgol Brechfa when they moved to Abergorlech in the summer of 2007 as that was where other children from the village went.

"When Dylan turned five in March we applied for him to be able to take the free school minibus which picks up other children from the village," she said.

"The council refused. We went through the appeal process, first by mail and more recently in person - both appeals have been rejected.

"Dylan had been very excited about taking the bus with his friends now that he is old enough.

If the council did not have a policy on who was eligible and if transport was allowed to any school from any location, this would result in a free for all Carmarthenshire council

"We are worried that when we tell him he cannot go he will be made to feel discriminated against and different from his peers."

She described the situation - which sees her drive Dylan the 4.7 miles (7.5km) to Ysgol Brechfa each day following the bus - as "bureaucratic lunacy".

"If we moved Dylan to Llansawel he would be the only child to go there from Abergorlech," added Mrs Andrews.

The council said Abergorlech was within the catchment area of Llansawel CP School, but did confirm two other children from the village were allowed on the bus to Ysgol Brechfa.

It said: "Whilst the vehicle used may often be a 16-seater, this is just down to the operator's operational convenience - the contract is actually for up to eight seats and at some point in the future will be reduced to a car."

It said the parents of one child from Abergorlech had successfully appealed and another had an "historic entitlement" that would be allowed to continue as it was the child's final year there.

"Abergorlech village is within the catchment of Llansawel School," it added.

"We advise parents to consider transport issues when making their initial choice of school.

"If the council did not have a policy on who was eligible and if transport was allowed to any school from any location, this would result in a free-for-all."