A partially-sighted schoolgirl is being left stranded in the street by Dundee morning bus services that either fail to stop or never turn up.
Fiona Clark, 12, suffers from neurofibromatosis, where cysts grow on nerve endings in the eye.
She has just started first year at St John’s High School but has been forced to pay for a taxi to school after being let down by the early morning National Express services.
Mum Karen said: “Buses are not turning up and are driving past her because they’re full. On one morning she had to go to three different bus stops to try and get a bus.
“She comes back home and is in a state because she is going to be late for school.
“I’m paying for taxis for her to get there on time. Both of us are finding it upsetting.”
Fiona has been unable to get on the 1A bus on Dens Road, which is due at 8.25am, because it is constantly full.
She also tried catching the 1B at nearby Main Street, which is due at 8.15am.
However, on two consecutive days the bus failed to turn up.
On one day she went to different stops on Dens Road, Main Street and finally Strathmartine Road in order to get a bus.
Karen said: “You can see the 1A is full with a mixture of school kids and people getting to work.
“We were told the 1B on Main Street comes at 8.15am.
“The first day we went there was a boy waiting to go to school. We asked if the bus ran on time, he said not all the time.
“He said getting the bus after that one would make anyone two minutes late for school.
“That day it didn’t turn up and the next day it didn’t turn up either. I can’t afford another £5 on a taxi.
“The taxi is real money out of my pocket as I’m on income support. She’s never been late for school but you just can’t trust the bus transport.”
A spokeswoman for National Express Dundee said: “We apologise to Ms Clark and her daughter for any inconvenience they have experienced.
“The 1A is a high-frequency route and our operations team ensure there is a double decker bus on this service as often as possible to try and accommodate the high volume of passengers.
“We are also sending Fiona a Thistle Assistance Card so she can show this to the driver for priority boarding when the service is very busy. We are also looking into this customer’s difficulties with the 1B and hope to improve the reliability of this service as soon as possible.”