Fiavè school bus dispute: three students denied service due to distance threshold

In Fiavè, a municipality in the province of Trento, three elementary school students have been denied access to the school bus service because their residence in the Stumiaga hamlet is 960 meters from the school. This distance falls 40 meters short of the one-kilometer threshold required by provincial regulations to qualify for the service.

Families are protesting the decision due to safety concerns. To reach the school on foot, the children must walk along State Road 421, a route that lacks sidewalks and is heavily used by trucks, couriers, and agricultural machinery.

The situation is further complicated by limited vehicle capacity; the school bus has 20 seats, but there were 23 requests. Mayor Beniamino Bugoloni has criticized the rigid application of the distance limit, calling it a “bureaucratic case,” and has proposed implementing a double trip for the bus to accommodate the students. Provincial Transport Councilor Mattia Gottardi noted that capacity was reached by applicants with higher priority requirements but stated that authorities are working on a solution.