Sassari, shuttle late and paid: mothers' anger

A tit for tat between the councilor and mothers who protest in Sassari over the decision to charge for the shuttle service. It all started when, having found funding in 2023, the decision was made to demolish the school on Via Artiglieria in the historic center to create a Montessori center and divert the children to the complex on Via Bottego a Latte Dolce.

"The previous administration - explains the councilor for educational policies Nicoletta Puggioni - had allocated 80 thousand euros in emergency for one year for the 60 little ones to be transported. An expense that we have decided not to repeat and that seems too much to us".

"But we had signed an agreement with the administration - contests Marcella, one of the mothers - There is a problem and they met us by not making us pay. Now, out of the blue, we have to do it. It's not right, it's a question of principle".

One of the points of disagreement, besides the fact that the vehicle arrives at 8.30 causing an inevitable delay , is in fact the timing because the information about the green light for the shuttle arrived only the afternoon before the first day of school.

"I took office as councilor - Puggioni replies - in late July, finding this problem. We took action immediately, but a tender cannot be put together in a few days, and there was August in between with a good part of the staff on vacation."

The head of the sector reports that, in any case, the council has given the green light to "a budget variation that halves the expenses". "The rates for parents go, according to the ISEE, from a maximum of 35 euros to a minimum of 7 with concessions for those who have more than one child".

Aside from being free, the shuttle also offered another plus for parents.

"Instead of 40/45 cars going to Latte Dolce - says Maria Francesca, another mother - only one vehicle would arrive, thus easing traffic congestion."

The councilor finally emphasizes that, in all likelihood, this will be the last year of the shuttle from via Artiglieria to via Bottego. In the meantime, yesterday morning many seats on the school bus were empty because several mothers refused to take their children on it.