Free bus travel axe re-think
PUPILS who were expecting to lose their free school bus travel will now keep it.
Bridgend council is re-assessing the safety of walking and cycling routes for children.
PUPILS who were due to lose free school bus travel have kept it while Bridgend council reassesses the safety of walking and cycling routes.
Facing a £40m funding shortfall the authority decided to bring what it called its “generous” school transport policy in line with the legally required minimum in September 2015.
This took the qualifying distances up from 1.5 miles to two miles for primary school pupils and from two to three miles for secondary school pupils.
It includes Welsh-medium and voluntary aided schools, while the qualifying distance for post-16 students changed from two to three miles.
The authority said the policy was implemented as planned on September 1.But following a successful legal challenge from the parents of 13-year-old Ben Salkeld over the safety of a walking route from his home village of Coychurch to Pencoed Comprehensive, the council said it “decided that it was worth reassessing all of the safe routes to school, and that further consultation with pupils should also be carried out regarding their perceptions of safety”.
A spokesman said: “Bridgend County Borough Council has traditionally been one of the three most generous councils in Wales when it comes to providing learner transport, and has spent £1.76m more than the indicator-based assessment figure used by the Welsh Government.
“However, the authority is unable to continue to do so in the face of a £40m shortfall in funding.
“In September 2015, the council agreed to amend its Learner Travel Policy to bring it in line with minimum statutory requirements.
“Pupils receiving free transport at that time could continue to do so until they moved to the next stage of their education or another noncatchment school, while a pupil starting at the same catchment school as an elder brother or sister will automatically receive the same entitlement.
“The cost of a daily return ticket for primary and secondary pupils and post-16 students who live outside the qualifying distances has increased by 48p from £1.42 to £1.90, and will be reviewed annually.
“Following the decision to reassess the safe routes, these changes will be implemented gradually from September onwards.
“Once further consul- tation on the safe routes has been completed, we will be writing to all of the families that are affected by the new qualifying distances. In the meantime, the affected pupils can continue to access free school transport.”