MARIGOT--The Collectivité organises school transport to take pupils to public schools in the territory. For the 2024-2025 school year, thirteen routes have been opened between Oyster Pond and Baie Nettlé.
The Collectivité is doing everything in its power to monitor the operation of these routes and ensure that pupils receive the best possible care.In addition, to provide parents with the best possible support, the Executive Council at the instigation of Third Vice-President Dominique Louisy, responsible for Human Development and Citizenship, voted to reduce the cost of school transport by 50% for the 2024-2025 school year, from 140 euros to 70 euros per child per year. This decision is also intended to encourage parents to enrol their children on the statutory school transport system, to avoid using non-statutory transport companies.
Access to school transport is open to all pupils in the public sector, from primary to secondary classes. In accordance with the public contract, school transport is available throughout the territory, from Oyster Pond to Baie Nettlé.
Three transport companies were officially selected as part of the call for tenders launched by the Collectivité for school transport. In total, 26 school buses of various capacities make the daily journeys for an estimated 1,000 pupils.
Problems have been reported on certain routes since the start of the school year. Some of the companies awarded the contract have failed to operate as they should have done, and some pupils have not been picked up for several days. To remedy this situation, the Collectivité immediately reviewed the arrangements for accommodating all the pupils and ensured that the buses supplied corresponded to the number of seats stipulated in the public contract.
The Collectivité is reassuring parents and informing them that any breach of the terms of the contract will be penalised by formal notices. It is doing its utmost to transport pupils in optimum safety conditions and apologises to parents for the malfunctions that have occurred on certain routes.
The following is the list of routes and transport companies included in the public contract:
1) A3D Marigot (J.L. Vanterpool Stadium) to Soualiga Secondary School
2) A3D Baie Orientale to Collège Soualiga
3) D&J TOURS Oyster Pond to Collège Mont des Accords (SEGPA)
4) A3D Nettlé Bay beach to Lycée Professionnel de Marigot
5) GCEE Oyster Pond to Lycée Robert Weinum
6) A3D Spring (Lycée de Marigot) towards Lycée Robert Weinum
7) A3D Nettlé Bay beach to Lycée Robert Weinum
8) D&J TOURS Colombier to Marigot elementary schools
9) D&J TOURS Rambaud to Elie Gibs Elementary School
10) A3D Baie Orientale to Elie Gibs Elementary School
11) GCEE Oyster Pond to Lycée Professionnel de Marigot
12) A3D Nettlé Bay beach to Collège Mont des Accords
13) D&J TOURS Grand Case (La Poste) to Collège Roche Gravée de Moho (SEGPA)
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/collectivite-addresses-issues-with-school-transportation
