A number of councils in the North of England are considering cutting free bus travel for school children as part of controversial plans to save money.
The proposal is likely to go down badly with parents who may be faced with a bill of up to £200 a year per child for school bus travel. If this were to come into force, the cost to parents with three or four children could be as much as £800 a year.
Durham County Council has already announced plans to axe free bus travel for college students and has admitted it hasn’t ruled out doing the same for under 16’s.
The North Yorkshire Council has revealed it is considering axing free school buses, however this would only possible if the Government relax legislation which states all pupils under 16 should be provided with free travel to their nearest school. If the plans go ahead to cut free travel in the region, the council estimates this would raise almost £900,000 between 2013-2014.
Coach and bus provider are uneasy about the potential changes as the uncertainty over where there funding for their service will come from could be bad for business.
Ministers have ordered a review of home to school bus transport which could pave the way for councils to be able to opt out of providing free travel for youngsters. However until the review is complete, it’s impossible to say whether or not there will be a change to the way school bus travel is funded.
