The parent of a teenager who was on board a school bus when it entered a verge after a period of “excessive speed” wants assurances it won’t happen again.

Around seven passengers were travelling on a Redroute 308 bus along the A227 Gravesend Road, near Vigo, at 7.32am on March 10 when the incident occurred.

The company run a number of school services under contract to Kent County Council (KCC) but responsibility for operator, driver and vehicle licensing and safety is a function of the Drive and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVLA).

After the incident, an investigation was launched by the transport provider, which later revealed the incident was a result of “human error”.

A spokesperson for Redroute told KentOnline it wished to express its “sincere apologies” to the passengers involved and that it is committed to making the “necessary changes to restore trust” to its customers.

It explained how the bus had “banked at the roadside” after a period of “excessive speed and sudden braking”.

The driver was subsequently dismissed by Redroute.

In response, mum-of-two Grace Tattersall wants to know what has been put in place to ensure this does not happen again.

Her 13-year-old daughter was travelling onboard when she called to say the vehicle had swerved before going up the bank on the left hand side.

She said: “The thing that comes out of it is to make sure it doesn’t happen again, that the buses are serviced regularly and KCC know who they are putting their contracts out too, and everyone is doing the right thing, vigorous checking and that people do hold themselves accountable.

“It would be good to know what Redroute’s policies are on recruitment and screening and what kind of referencing they do to ensure the drivers are driving in the safest possible way when they are looking after our children.

“It’s just about safety. We don’t want this to happen again. It could have been worse, luckily it wasn’t.

“It is such a busy road and I still think there’s an issue that the driver made the children walk down the road to the roundabout.

“I think they should have stayed with the bus and waited for police and parents.”

In response, the transport provider said it was strengthening its recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure it is hiring the “most qualified” and “safety-conscious” drivers.

It added: “We are also reviewing and reinforcing our emergency protocols and training to ensure all staff are equipped to handle unexpected situations with appropriate care and judgment.

”We are committed to learning from this incident and making the necessary changes to restore trust in our services.”

In response to Grace’s concerns, a spokesperson for KCC told KentOnline that its bus and coach providers hold the appropriate licence, and after investigation it was “satisfied” Redroute has taken appropriate management actions.

After the incident, Grace contacted the police, who told her they were not exploring the possibility of dangerous driving as a factor.

She added: “But, if the driver has now been dismissed then obviously Redroute also found fault there.

“Unfortunately my daughter does have to get the bus, it’s the only way we can get her there from Vigo because we are both working.”

A Redroute spokesperon said: “We wish to express our sincere apologies to the passengers involved in an incident on March 10, in which one of our buses was banked at the roadside following a period of excessive speed and sudden braking.

”We take this matter extremely seriously. An immediate investigation was launched, and the driver involved has since been dismissed from the company with immediate effect.

”We fully recognise the distress and inconvenience this caused to those on board, and we are grateful that no one was injured.

“The safety of our passengers, staff, and the public is our highest priority, and we acknowledge that this situation fell well short of the standards we expect and demand.”

We acknowledge that this situation fell well short of the standards we expect and demand

A spokesperson for KCC said: “Our priority is the safety of the passengers who use bus services commissioned by the council.

“In this instance, the service is one that is contracted by KCC and our terms and conditions of contract demand that such incidents are fully investigated in conjunction with us.

“The investigation found that the incident was as a result of human error and subsequently, the driver has been dismissed by Redroute.

“This particular matter is now closed but KCC continue to work with Redroute to prevent similar incidents occurring.

“All of our bus and coach providers have to hold the appropriate license issued by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) who have the responsibility for licensing and enforcement.

“Following a thorough investigation conducted by Redroute, we are satisfied that they have taken appropriate management actions in response to the recent incident.

“We are also satisfied that the drivers employed by Redroute are fully licensed and adhere to the requirements set by DVSA.”

On the day of the incident a police spokesperson confirmed they were called to a report a bus had “entered a ditch” at the side of the A227 near Vigo, Gravesend.

They said: “No other vehicles were involved and there were no injuries. Officers attended and the bus has now been recovered from the scene.”