On Tuesday, an accident involving one of Interchange Bathurst's buses occurred on the Great Western Highway East of Bathurst. At the time six disabled teenagers were on board the vehicle, which was being driven by 19 year-old P-plater Matthew Daley.
According to a statement in the Western Advocate, Police believe that the driver lost control of the vehicle when he veered into loose gravel on the shoulder of the road. The vehicle left the road hitting a tree and rolled two or three times.
The driver and all passengers in the vehicle were taken to Bathurst Hospital as a precautionary measure.
A number of parents have contacted Carenne Gate dismayed with Interchange management's handling of the accident. One parent said "I can't believe Melinda Phillips believes this is a non-issue, she said it could of happened to anyone. Well it wouldn't happen if they had experienced drivers driving their vehicles. They don't care about the safety of our children."
Another parent claimed to have been badgered by Phillips. "She called me up to tell me there had been an accident and my son was being taken to the hospital. I was quite panicked and she then said 'I need to ask will you be suing us, if you sue we may not be able to provide a service to your son'", said the parent.
Carenne Gate spoke to Bathurst Police who said investigations were continuing into the accident and they believe the statement provided by the driver was inaccurate. Police said that Daley would be charged with negligent driving over the accident.
A whistleblower at Interchange told Carenne Gate that there had previously been complaints about Daley's driving. The whistleblower said that he was aware that Daley had been observed driving in erratically and in excess of the speed limit on a number of occasions. The whistleblower said that he himself had made a complaint to Phillips about Daley's maturity. "He is only 19, 20 next month and of course he is still pretty immature, he has a good rapport with the kids but he should be better supervised."
