KCC urges parents to avoid buses
Parents in Kent are being encouraged to avoid public transport and make alternative arrangements to get their children to secondary school in September.
The advice has come from Kent County Council, which has now opened applications for Travel Saver bus passes ahead of the new term.
The authority, which says parents can save up to 50% on the cost of travel to and from school with a pass, is urging families to think hard about whether they can get their children to the classroom via other means before making an application for the £360 year-long permit. A message on its website says: “Current government advice is to avoid public transport, so we are urging parents to use alternative transport where possible. If children live close to the school they should walk or cycle, for those that live further away they should consider getting a lift.”
How secondary school transport plans will work in September is starting to generate some debate as thoughts turn to returning more pupils to the classroom.
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield says she has already been contacted by parents worried about juggling the school run with work and is calling on transport chiefs to explain to parents how school transport services will run if students can only travel on buses with the same children they are in a class or year group ‘bubble’ with.
Families who had a Travel Saver pass for the previous school year have been able to claim a small refund.