Parents of children attending the Orange Valley School in Devonshire for the severely challenged have been left stranded after the school bus was taken off the road by Transport Control Department (TCD) earlier this week.

UBP MP Jamahl Simmons told The Royal Gazette that concerned parents have been calling him because the bus suddenly stopped showing up to pick up their children.

He said that the bus had been in a deplorable condition for a number of years and its driver "took it upon himself" to take it to TCD.

"TCD basically condemned it," according to Mr. Simmons.

"Over the past three or four years it has been in horrible condition. The parents have been calling every power imaginable to get it improved."

But Mr. Simmons, and the stranded parents, want to know why they were not notified that the bus was off the road, or alternative arrangements made.

"Parents have been waiting with their kids for the bus to pick them up and there was no notification. I have gotten many calls from parents who rely on the bus," Mr. Simmons said.

"Not notifying the parents was unacceptable. An alternative arrangement would have been the perfect solution."

No one at the Education Ministry could be reached for comment yesterday but The Royal Gazette understands that repeated requests by the driver to address the deplorable state of the vehicle have been stonewalled by officials.

And the bus has been taken off the road once before this year because of torn seats. Hundreds of dollars were spent on fixing the damage.

Now the 16-year-old rust bucket sputters around belching thick black smoke and frequently breaks down.

The wheelchair lift does not work and it has no seat belts for the roughly nine or ten physically challenged young people it has been carrying on an almost daily basis.