Special needs boy, 7, left locked on a bus in sweltering 31-degree temperatures for an entire school day after the driver forgot about him

  • The Monash Special Development School boy, 7, was forgotten about 
  • He was locked in a Crown Coaches bus parked in Nunawading, Melbourne
  • The boy was uninjured and is believed to have slept throughout the day
  • He was discovered in the afternoon and the bus driver was later sacked  

By Tanya Li for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 00:59 EST, 25 November 2016 | Updated: 01:11 EST, 25 November 2016

A bus driver has been sacked after a special needs child was trapped in a Melbourne bus depot on a 31 degree day.

The Monash Special Developmental School boy was allegedly forgotten when the Crown Coaches bus driver dropped off the children at Nunawading depot last Thursday, 7 News reported. 

The seven-year-old boy was uninjured and is believed to have slept through most of the day on the bus.

Scroll down for video 

A bus driver has been sacked after a special needs child was trapped in a Melbourne bus depot on a 31 degree day

He had a packed lunch with him and was discovered in the afternoon.

Crown Charters sacked the responsible driver and supervisor. 

The decision was reaffirmed by the school's principal, Helen McCoy, who told 7 News the incident was appalling.  

'This was completely unacceptable and we are pleased that the bus company has taken tough action against the driver and chaperone,' she said.

'To make sure this doesn't happen again, we are also now calling parents immediately when the child is believed to be absent.'

It comes after a special needs child was similarly locked in a Crown Coaches bus depot in June last year for more than five hours. 

The Monash Special Developmental School boy was allegedly forgotten about when the Crown Coaches bus driver dropped off the children at Nunawading depot last Thursday

The young boy was uninjured and had a packed meal with him. He is believed to have slept through most of the day on the bus and was discovered in the afternoon

In a statement, Crown Coaches said they had 'clarified their procedures to prevent such an incident from recurring.'

'Crown Coaches have operated special school bus services for 45 years. They are the largest special school bus operator in the state. They have never had an incident of this nature before. This failure to adhere to company policy and provide the highest levels of care to a student could have had far worse ramifications and Crown Coaches deeply regrets the matter,' the statement said.

The Department of Education and Training is reviewing its agreement with the bus company. 

Comments (0)

Share what you think

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now