A DAILY Echo delivery-boy has been forced to give up his paper round after Yellow Buses cancelled his bus home from school.

Jamie Farrant used to take the Number 27 bus for the five-mile trip home to Bearwood from Bournemouth School in East Way, but after the service was stopped by Yellow Buses this week he has been unable to get back in time for his round.

Jamie’s dad, Marc Farrant, said the 16-year-old had luckily been able to find another job quickly, but they were still disappointed at the cancellation of a ‘busy’ service.

“He has to get two buses now, or one and a long walk, and it takes him nearly an hour longer to get home,” he said.

“It is a shame because he enjoyed that job.

“That bus was often full, with people forced to stand, so to say it wasn’t busy enough to be viable is ridiculous.

“What about the Year 7 children who will now have to stand around at bus stops in the dark, or take a long walk, because there is no bus service to Bearwood?”

Mark Ambler, head of network development at Yellow Buses, said Bournemouth Council had previously funded a school bus for the route, run by another operator, but this was cancelled in September.

“When this school service ended the council was aware that our Number 27 bus would only continue to run for a short time,” he said.

“The local authority is responsible for supporting school transport within the borough and those affected by the service changes should contact the council.

“Our Number 27 bus was introduced on a commercial basis with no local authority support, and despite our best efforts to promote it there were simply not enough passengers to make it viable.”

Mr Farrant added: “If Yellow Buses aren’t going to provide a direct bus I think the council should step in. Bearwood is one of the school’s main catchment areas.”

Council passenger transport manager David Harrop added that the roads affected were still served by other bus services.