Even at the beginning of the school term, there are still places in Upper Austria where the issue of school transport remains unresolved. Many affected parents are now desperate or lost and feel abandoned.
If no solution is found, I will have to take vacation every Wednesday!” says Peter Haslhofer, disappointed. His six-year-old daughter Sophie, who had her very first day of school yesterday, would now have to walk the six kilometers from her home village near Enns in public every day. The bus station is about a kilometer away from the family home, and the path also runs along a busy state highway with no sidewalk.
Need for school bus confirmed by report
Setting up a school bus as part of occasional transport requires expert advice, which parents only received two years ago. Because it was unreasonable for children to walk on an unlit state highway without sidewalks or crosswalks, the application was approved at the time. The path is simply too dangerous, especially in winter when there is snow, fog and darkness.
Like a hot potato
“They used to be picked up directly from home, now we have to take them to school every day!” Michael Baloh is also irritated. He and his eight-year-old daughter Johanna are neighbors of the Haslhofers and share their problem with going to school. “Last week we found out that the school bus was no longer running. They say it’s up to the community. But the community says the tax authorities are responsible for that. And the bus company says it has no drivers.”
Discussion with tax officials and bus operators
Carpooling is also difficult because Johanna and Sophie are in different classes – and therefore usually have different school durations. “We only heard about this the week before school started and immediately contacted the tax authorities,” explains Gerhard Gstöttenbauer, municipal office director of the city of Enns. “Last Thursday there was a conversation with tax officials and a bus operator who may be interested.” He still has to calculate, a decision must be made on Thursday. “Everything fails because of money. Neither the municipality nor the tax authorities can simply make up the difference.”
Mayor calls for an increase in travel expenses
“This has been visible for some time because the kilometer allowance cannot keep up with inflation and price increases,” says Gstöttenbauer. The municipality of Enns is not alone in this: until recently there were unanswered questions about incidental traffic in Luftenberg, Pabneukirchen and Dimbach; In most cases, interim solutions have already been found in these municipalities.
“Negotiations with the Chamber of Commerce were broken off on Friday,” said Dimbach Mayor Manfred Fenster. The decision on travel expenses rests with the Family Ministry in Vienna. “A one-off financial injection also helped us make ends meet in Dimbach, but the problem still exists.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
