A Gold Coast bus company is investigating how a 12-year-old girl was left stranded after her transport card didn’t work.



The incident has sparked fresh concerns about the operation of the No Child Left Behind policy, introduced after Daniel Morcombe was abducted and murdered in 2003.



He had been waiting at a Sunshine Coast stop but was passed by a bus that was running late.



Surfside Buses confirmed on Tuesday it had launched an investigation into how schoolgirl Lucinda Bleakley was left behind when her Go Card failed to scan last week.



“Surfside takes these types of allegations very seriously and has commenced a full investigation,” a statement said. The company said it would interview the driver, review CCTV footage and analyse ticketing machine data as part of the inquiry.

The Southport High student’s father Dean said his daughter’s safety should have been more important than a bus fare.



“For the sake of $2.50, who cares,” he told News Corp. “If the kids are in school uniform they should be taken to school.”

The premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the transport minister Jackie Trad was being briefed on the matter and would not comment until that was completed.



“There is a very clear policy that no child should be left behind,” Palaszczuk said.