Over the past two weeks, 35 students attending schools in Igorre and Zeanuri, as well as the Arratia BHI institute, have encountered problems getting to their educational centers. Some of these students, living in various neighborhoods, rely on taxis for their commute. However, this year, the Department of Education reduced the tender prices for taxi drivers by 30%, resulting in some routes not being awarded. Others have been operating under extensions from previous year's tenders.
Consequently, during the initial days of the academic year, families had to cover these transportation costs themselves. In response to this situation, parents convened on the 11th and issued a statement to highlight the issue. This week, the transport service has been gradually reinstated, but parents have still reported numerous problems: children left waiting without service, late arrivals, and bus journeys exceeding an hour.
Today, BEGITU spoke with the communication team of the Department of Education, who maintain that the issue with bus contracting has been resolved since last week. Despite this, complaints from parents were received this morning: "They have contracted buses, but the transport service is not functioning." Parents, Eguzkiñe Barandika and Ima Baliñas, have stated that drivers are not being adequately informed.
While the schoolchildren have arrived on time, parents have described the situation at the institute as a "disaster." "Some children were dropped off at the institute at 07:20 and others at 07:38, which is not legal, as they can only be dropped off at 07:45 (until then, there is no supervision)," they explained. The transport arrived at 08:07, by which time one parent had already had to leave, as students enter class at 08:15.
