A three-year-old girl who spent four hours distressed and alone on a parked school bus in regional NSW is recovering from the ordeal.
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A man spotted the little girl sitting in the front seat of an unattended bus parked on Forbes Street in the central western town of Trundle, just before midday on Wednesday.
The man unlocked the bus before contacting the girl's parents, police said.
Paramedics treated the child before she was taken to Parkes Hospital, where she was assessed and later discharged.
A spokeswoman for NSW Health confirmed the girl was in good health.
It is understood the girl spent about four hours trapped alone on the bus and was supposed to have been dropped at the Trundle Children's Centre in the centre of town about 8.30am.
In a statement, the centre said the child was left on a privately owned school bus.
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"The centre director, educators and committee are horrified this has occurred and have been in regular contact with the child's parents," the centre said.
"The centre does not own or operate a bus. Children are transported to the centre on local school buses.
"We will be doing everything within our power to ensure an incident like this never occurs again."
Officers from Central West Police District are investigating.
A NSW Department of Education spokesperson said it was also looking into what occurred.
"As the regulator of Early Childhood Education and Care Services in NSW, the department's first priority is always the health, safety and wellbeing of children," the spokesperson said.
Australian Associated Press
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