Larnaca parents accuse Transport Ministry of shifting school bus safety blame onto them

Local LarnacaschoolsstudentsTop Newstransport Larnaca parents accuse Transport Ministry of shifting school bus safety blame onto them Leof Relevant News Larnaca parents accuse Transport Ministry of shifting school bus safety blame onto them 17 September 2026 Cyprus orders 1.7km of substandard asphalt removed from Paphos-Polis road 17 September 2026 Larnaka 2030: Open invitation to the webinar series “Setting out Together: A Journey into Community Arts” 17 September 2026 Natasa Christoforou 17 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Parents in Larnaca have accused Cyprus’s Transport Ministry of trying to shift responsibility for school bus safety onto them, after Cyprus Public Transport cancelled a school route over bus vandalism. Costas Costa, president of the local Federation of Parents of Secondary Education, hit out at the Transport Ministry on Thursday afternoon. “It’s distressing what’s happening, and what’s unacceptable is that the Transport Ministry is trying to shift responsibility for bus safety onto us. We have a responsibility to help solve the problem, but we’re not the police, to take the law into our own hands,” he told philenews, adding that it is the Transport Ministry, which signs the contracts with the companies, that bears primary responsibility for ensuring children are transported safely to school. “We’re asking for the Anafotia/Alethriko route to Vergina Lyceum and Gymnasium to resume tomorrow, and for a meeting at the Transport Ministry,” Costa added. He questioned why the measures decided did not exclude conscientious students, saying: “We just want the students involved to be banned from the buses.” His comments followed a lengthy Transport Ministry statement appealing to parents, guardians and Parent Associations to help ensure students behave appropriately during their journeys. The ministry had also made clear that, where a route’s safe operation cannot be guaranteed, “temporarily suspending it is unavoidable until safe operation can resume.” The statement warned that the ministry would show no flexibility on conditions inside buses during journeys. “In recent days, isolated incidents of vandalism and damage to school buses have been recorded, along with incidents of loud disruption and inappropriate behaviour by students. Similar incidents occurred in previous school years. On a bus carrying students, such behaviour creates serious risk and affects the driver’s concentration in carrying out his duties.” The statement continued: “Throwing objects, verbally or physically harassing drivers, moving around while the vehicle is in motion, smoking, and damage to seats or safety equipment put all passengers at risk, above all the other students.” It added that material damage also “has a direct impact on the service, since damaged buses may need to be temporarily withdrawn from circulation for inspection and repair. Immediate replacement is not always possible, given the limited number of available buses and drivers. Where a route’s safe operation cannot be guaranteed, temporarily suspending it is unavoidable until safe operation can resume.” The statement went on to appeal to parents, guardians and Parent Associations to actively help ensure students behave appropriately during their journeys. “The ministry clarifies that these measures are not directed at conscientious students, who make up the vast majority. On the contrary, they are intended to protect them from behaviour that endangers their safety. Working with the Education, Sports and Youth Ministry, school administrations, parents and Parent Associations, every effort will be made to identify those responsible and restore the routes as soon as possible,” the Transport Ministry said. Cancelling routes is not the solution, says Education Minister Cancelling school bus routes and tarnishing the name of all students over a few troublemakers is not the solution, Education Minister Athina Michaelidou said, adding that she expects better monitoring and punishment for those who misbehave. Speaking in Limassol, prompted by the contracted company’s cancellation of school routes in Larnaca over disruptive behaviour, Michaelidou said: “What’s troubling is that, for the sake of two, three or ten cases, the name of all our children gets tarnished.” “There are around 25,000 children who use the buses, and we, along with the Parent Associations, constantly encourage children to use the bus,” she said, adding that this “is the solution to many problems, both for parents and for the environment.” Expressing regret that “ways to identify these children and impose the necessary punishments have not yet been found,” she said the issue has been discussed and that she is in consultation with the Transport Minister “to find the most suitable solutions,” reiterating that stopping routes is not the answer, and that it is not right for all the other children to be punished because of one or two troublemakers. Asked whether there were any proposals to address the problem, she said: “Cameras are one solution, along with better monitoring inside the buses and, of course, punishment.” She added: “Where punishment has been tried, it has been effective, since parents are informed, they often come and pay for the damage too, and that’s where we see results.” Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Cyprus orders 1.7km of substandard asphalt removed from Paphos-Polis road Larnaka 2030: Open invitation to the webinar series “Setting out Together: A Journey into Community Arts” Two remanded over plot to kill UK twins in Cyprus, six deported Building a year-round future for Cyprus tourism Power cuts hit parts of Nicosia and Larnaca, EAC crews on site Turkish defence ministry warns US arms decision for Cyprus threatens “sensitive balances” Transport Ministry reports vandalism, misbehaviour on school buses, appeals to parents Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.