Several mothers of high school students from IES Yaiza who live in Playa Blanca have contacted La Voz to denounce the transportation problems their children are still suffering. Although the Cabildo authorized the incorporation of a stop at the educational center in the itinerary of the intercity buses starting this week, they claim that their schedules are "incompatible" with their children's school hours.
"It's a disaster," says one of the mothers, who explains that, in her daughter's case, she has to leave "an hour and a half or two hours earlier from home" to be able to catch the bus and arrive on time for class. "She starts at 2:00 p.m. but has to catch the bus at 12:55 p.m. and we live in Montaña Roja," says this woman, who explains that there are more minors who have to travel "up to five kilometers" from their home to the bus departure point.
The problems, according to this mother, also occur when students leave the center, who finish their classes at 7:00 p.m. "In the afternoon, she has to wait almost 40 minutes at the door of the institute and ends up arriving home at nine o'clock at night, which seems outrageous to me," she points out.
"Right now, almost 40 children are freezing in front of IES Yaiza waiting for the bus to take them to Playa Blanca, because they don't finish school until 7:00 p.m., but the bus arrives and leaves at 7:00 p.m. and the teachers won't allow them to leave class ten minutes earlier to catch the bus," another mother complained this week, stating that the minors then have to wait "until almost eight in the afternoon" and also "see if there is a seat."
In fact, she stated that, on Tuesday afternoon, when the bus arrived at 8:00 p.m., not everyone could fit. "Six had to stand all the way to Playa Blanca," said this woman, who also criticized the center for closing its doors "leaving the minors alone" during their wait.
A wait in a completely "isolated" area
One of these mothers points out that she has already sent a letter to the Education and Transport Departments of the Cabildo to demand a solution since, as she explains, high school students do not have school transport and can only travel to the center using intercity buses.
"The incorporated service is incompatible with the school schedule," she states in the same, where she points out that this implies "waiting for about 100 students for 30 minutes at the door of the educational center behind closed doors, located in an area completely isolated from bars, restaurants, libraries and places of leisure and in the absence of supervision of compliance with health measures"
"It is, therefore, an unthinkable situation given the current health circumstances," considers this mother, who in her letter points out that "the distance between IES Yaiza and the place of residence of a large part of the high school students, about 23 kilometers, makes it impossible to transport students in private vehicles, either due to time issues or family economic reasons."
Therefore, she requests "the adaptation of the intercity bus schedule to the school schedule or the possibility of enabling alternative transport taking into account the exceptional circumstances to which the high school students of the municipality of Yaiza are exposed."
