Parents worried about how their children were going to get to school in September following the withdrawal of a key bus service can breathe a sigh of relief with news that an alternative company has stepped in to replace it.

In the past 24 hours Go Cornwall has confirmed that it will be running the same route to Mullion School as the MUL104 bus service previously withdrawn by First South West.

It is understood that this will start in Rosudgeon as before and include the same stops, going via Porthleven and Helston, and will begin on September 2, ahead of the start of the new academic year.

This is a change to the previous temporary solution that Truro and Penwith Academy Trust, which runs Mullion School, had found at the start of the week, when it agreed to divert some of its front-line education budget to pay for one further year of transport via private coach hire, in the hope of finding a longer term solution.

The news that Go Cornwall will now be providing the service as a commercial route – available to all bus users, not just students – has been welcomed by the trust.

In a letter to parents this afternoon (Thursday) Chris Pickles, director of operations at Truro and Penwith Academy Trust, said: “In the past 24 hours, a new positive development has arisen.

“Go Cornwall will be commencing a new commercial service on the previous MUL 104 route commencing on the 2nd September 2024. This is completely unexpected, but welcomed.

“Critically, this bus service is intended to be a sustainable offer, not only for 2024/25, but subsequent years – additionally, for the autumn term, at a reduced price than we could have offered.

“This announcement provides the resilience we were all hoping for and allows the monies the Trust would have otherwise used as a subsidy for a single year transition, to go back into front line educational support.”

Students were struggling to get to Mullion School in September (Image: Google Street View)

He said that at the moment he did not have the specific timetable and fare structure available, with Go Cornwall expected to publish this information in the near future.

However, Mr Pickles added: “We wanted to share this emerging news with you as soon as it materialised, and wish to thank Go Cornwall for leaning into this difficult commercial space noting the needs of the students and community more widely.

“We would also like to use this opportunity to thank Williams Travel who worked tirelessly to deliver the private hire solution previously communicated this week.

“Our continued thanks to you for your patience, support and understanding - we are pleased that a long-term, affordable solution is now in place for the community.”

As previously reported by the Packet earlier this month, parents had been left feeling “at a loss” and “totally abandoned” after being told at the end of term that their child’s transport to school would no longer be available from September.

You can read more about what they said here: 'Abandoned' parents 'at a loss' as school bus withdrawn days before end of term

It was after First South West took the decision to withdraw the MUL104 bus service, with parents informed that it was no longer profitable.

The move affected around 60 students, who had each been paying £22 per week up until the end of the summer term.

Cornwall Council had stressed that it was not involved in the commissioning of this service, which it described as “entirely the responsibility of Truro and Penwith Academy Trust”.

In a letter to parents at the end of term, the school said the service was being withdrawn for “commercial reasons beyond our control.”

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Following much debate between the school trust, the council, bus companies and parents over the past two weeks, after news broke on Facebook and in the Helston Packet, Truro and Penwith Academy Trust had agreed to divert some of its education budget to financing a subsidised 49-seater coach with Williams Travel for one year only.

This was to have cost parents £25 a week per student, and it was stressed that places would be allocated on a first come, first served basis, with year 11 students prioritised in their exam year.

Following today’s update, however, this will no longer be commissioned.

In a previous letter sent to parents on Tuesday, the trust had said: “We are grateful for the advice and guidance of all parties, and specifically the work of the constituency MP Andrew George, and his team.

“From our conversations with families we know that some have made the difficult decision to choose a different school, others have been able to create alternative transport groups via lift sharing or similar activities. We also know that some families have found other available public transport solutions that run at a suitable time each day.

“However, we also know that there is a concern from families that there may not be sufficient capacity available on other public transport routes, something that the school has no control over.

“Therefore, Truro and Penwith Academy Trust have made the difficult decision to divert some of our front-line education budget to provide a single year transition period for families - with the intent this alleviates the immediate pressure on and creates further time for parents to find a longer term solution.”