IRATE parents have blasted council officials after a series of errors left some children with no way to get home from school.

A number of mums and dads have voiced their outrage after it emerged that some kids in the Wee County have been left without bus passes, a week into the new school term.

Claims have been made regarding students being asked to leave buses and drivers shouting and swearing at one another in front of shocked pupils.

It is the second year in a row the council has been forced to apologise for the travel chaos caused by their errors.

For the 2018-19 school term, bus passes for Wee County pupils were to be issued by Stirling Council but in partnership with counterparts in Clacks.

The system was due to be in place by Wednesday, August 15, with students returning to school the following Monday.

Education chiefs have denied that any child had been left behind, however, one parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Advertiser that she knows of a number of kids who have been left with no bus to get home.

She said: “My niece and some of her friends were denied access to their own bus and were then refused to be let on a Hunters bus to get home despite being told to.

“They were told to get off because it wasn't their bus and that there were no seats left but they never even checked bus passes.”

The mum-of-two also hit out at the council for the number of children who are still left without a bus pass over a week after going back to school.

She said: “There are still kids who don’t have their passes. It is a total shambles.

"I have been on the phone to Stirling Council but I was told that sometimes things just get lost in the post or if people change address they can’t send it to them.

“One parent has stayed in her current address in Tillicoultry for four years – her son is now S2.

"They put on the bus pass that his stop was Coalsnaughton, not Murray Square, and was told that, as he was at the wrong stop, he was to walk from High Street to Coalsnaughton. He still hasn't received the correct bus pass.”

Another parent who wished to remain unnamed described similar circumstances.

She said: “My son uses the school bus to Alva Academy as we stay in Tillicoultry. The first day back at school he witnessed pupils being asked to get off the bus.

“These pupils were then left with no transport.

"The bus drivers were shouting and swearing at each other.

"It is such a shambles. Even though he has a bus pass, it seems no guarantee that he will actually get home on the bus.”

In response, Tom Matchett, owner of M-Line, told the Advertiser he is “disgusted” by the debacle.

He said: “I totally sympathise with the families. We [M-Line] have been targeted at Alva for picking up kids with no passes and have been refused entry on to buses.”

Tom claims that his company’s drivers have been picking up children without passes after they have been left behind by other firms, and in response to that, got an email insisting that it stops.

He said: “I got an email at 9.15pm on Thursday night from Stirling Council saying that M-Line should in no way pick up children without a pass.

“Drivers and companies are told categorically not to pick up kids without the right pass.

"It is not right. I am disgusted to be involved in school transport services now.”

A spokesperson for Hunters cancelled a meeting with the Advertiser and instead said that the council should do the answering, not them.

Anne Pearson, head of education at Clacks Council, issued a statement saying: “I would like to apologise on behalf of the council for the difficulties that some pupils have encountered with transport.

“We are aware of an issue with passes for some children at Alva Academy which has been dealt with. I’d like to be clear, that at no point has any child been left behind.

“There were also some issues last Monday with overcrowding on one bus and a bus breaking down.”

Stirling Council said it had nothing else to add to the statement from Clackmannanshire Council.