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Original poster

£430 for one term of college bus fare

107 replies

Caerulea · 26/08/2025 22:25

We've one secondary in our catchment & it has no 6th form so kids have to go to the nearest college which is 15 odd miles away - 1 hour 40 by bus.

We've just paid £430 for ONE TERM of bus fare!

The full year, if you could pay all at once, is £950.

If we do it termly it's going to be around £1.5k.

Daily would be £9

Isn't this just wrong on so many levels? Why are there deals at all & not just a set price? This is a low socio-economic area with low academic achievement & very rural. It's almost double what the first term was last year for DS2

OP posts:
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Ohthatsabitshit · 28/08/2025 07:25

It’s the same here and worse for disabled children over 16 if they can’t use public transport. The cost of unavoidable travel is crippling.

golemmings · 28/08/2025 07:20

For DD nearest college which offers her course is out of county.
She has £3 fixed fare bus (first of the morning) to town
£3 return train fare (thank you Railcard)
She's walking 25 mins to college to save a further £3.

If she wasn't happy to walk, accessing college would cost £15 a day. Just waiting on her timetable to see if it's £75 a week...

The closer college which doesn't offer her course subsidises bus 1 marginally, but then requires a 40 mins walk to college, or another £3 bus. It's still £12 a day or £60 a week.

There's no through ticketing due to different bus companies. Local firm from home to town, then arriva from town to college.

No financial support because we earn over £25k.

wonderstuff · 27/08/2025 18:23

And also not all kids can learn to drive, not just financially challenging but some disabilities can prevent driving. There really should be access to college for everyone.

PoshDuckQuarkQuark · 27/08/2025 18:23

Caerulea · 27/08/2025 14:53

It really is & it's not on imo. Make it a countrywide system rather than each council & college doing as they please. It really adds to the feeling that you're being screwed over

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I'm afraid its been something you have to factor in when having kids as its been like this for a long time.

Our local secondary (free bus for up to Y11) is awful so we pay £1200 a year for a bus pass to a better school. When my twins start I will have to drive them all.

No free buses for 6th form which is ludicrous given education is compulsory until 18. A friend sent her son to the local crappy comprehensive and was going to send him to 6th form but didnt realise the council charged for a place on the school bus. £1000!!!

In the end she got together with 3 other parents and they take it in turns to drive. My friend drops them off 7.50am pn her way to work and the other 3 sort out pick ups.

wonderstuff · 27/08/2025 18:21

linelgreen · 27/08/2025 16:34

We realised how difficult it would be to rely on public transport so made sure ours had applied for provisional licences before 17 then booked theory tests in advance to take as soon as they were 17 and then booked a test date ASAP followed by an intensive driving course.

We also tried to get dd driving, unfortunately she failed the first test and because the booking system is completely broken she can’t get another for at least 6 months. Also insurance on her car will be at least £1500 so actually much more expensive option than the bus - even with a car donated by a lovely relative!

WellMaybeTomorrow · 27/08/2025 18:14

Caerulea · 27/08/2025 15:10

I think it really depends where you are, it would be hard work to even get out of the village due to the hill. It's just not a safe thing to be on where we are, I'm trying to think when I even last saw one lol.

I've also sat behind drivers who pass cyclists horrifically close cos there's not enough space to pass safely & it's all blind corners. You can sit behind a cyclist going 5mph for several miles cos there's nowhere safe to pass so some people lose their minds & do stupid shit instead.

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Re bikes

An electric bike would make light of even the steepest Cornish hills and presumably there’s no reason why your son would have to be the type of cyclist that doesn’t pull over if he’s holding traffic up. I know there is more traffic than when I was a teen but I cycled miles and miles around Cornwall as a teen. There’s always somewhere to pull in if someone’s driving too close.
I still cycle a lot around the lanes near where I live. It wouldn’t cross my mind not to go out cycling because it might be dangerous. I use both an electric bike and a normal bike.

FunnyOrca · 27/08/2025 17:16

I pay £700 for annual unlimited travel in my city and surrounding area. I think it’s worth it, but £950 to school and back? Outrageous!

ThatsRoughBuddy · 27/08/2025 17:02

Free bus travel for children should definitely be a thing everywhere!

I'm in Scotland and a few years ago the government brought in free bus travel for all under 22s. My DS was able to go to college the other side of the city without crippling us in bus fares!

Talkinpeace · 27/08/2025 16:54

linelgreen · 27/08/2025 16:34

We realised how difficult it would be to rely on public transport so made sure ours had applied for provisional licences before 17 then booked theory tests in advance to take as soon as they were 17 and then booked a test date ASAP followed by an intensive driving course.

More economic discrimination.

Not all families can buy extra cars.
Not all families can tax extra cars.
Not all families can insure 17 year olds on extra cars.
Not all families can pay for intensive driving lessons.
AND
Some children are born in August so it is physically impossible for them to have passed their test by 3rd September when term starts

Original poster
Caerulea · 27/08/2025 16:47

linelgreen · 27/08/2025 16:34

We realised how difficult it would be to rely on public transport so made sure ours had applied for provisional licences before 17 then booked theory tests in advance to take as soon as they were 17 and then booked a test date ASAP followed by an intensive driving course.

Aren't those courses £1000's? They are here, a year ago I was quite 3.5k

OP posts:
mamagogo1 · 27/08/2025 16:43

Here it’s ok if you do a levels as the schools have 6th forms and even the villages are easily accessible to the towns by cycle to the schools BUT for non academic students it’s a different situation, the two technical colleges are about 1 hour 45-2 hours away in opposite directions, both involve long bus journeys then to change to another local bus, this is charged at £900 a year, though the colleges do fund up front and you repay monthly plus the passes are for standard passes so usable evenings and weekends.

Starbells53 · 27/08/2025 16:43

SEN transport for 16-18yo in my area is a flat £1700 per year. Doesn't matter whether its the nearest appropriate placement, or whether its a solo taxi or a seat in a minibus. It's not our fault our YP can't go to the local college... we can't choose a different setting.

AnnPerkins · 27/08/2025 16:37

linelgreen · 27/08/2025 16:34

We realised how difficult it would be to rely on public transport so made sure ours had applied for provisional licences before 17 then booked theory tests in advance to take as soon as they were 17 and then booked a test date ASAP followed by an intensive driving course.

Even so Summer born DC aren't likely to pass their tests until Xmas of year 13 at the earliest.

linelgreen · 27/08/2025 16:34

We realised how difficult it would be to rely on public transport so made sure ours had applied for provisional licences before 17 then booked theory tests in advance to take as soon as they were 17 and then booked a test date ASAP followed by an intensive driving course.

AnnPerkins · 27/08/2025 16:31

Bobbydazz · 27/08/2025 13:00

It's £1,000 a year here. My child started at 6th form of the same secondary school he had attended and caught the same bus he had used the previous 5 years. When he was in years 7-11 the bus was free, but not in 6th form.

We can pay in monthly instalments but only if you've applied before the end of June. It's still a large monthly payment.

If the government insisted on children being in education until they are 18, they should have also considered transport costs.

We have the same situation except it's £1300 a year here and it's our catchment school. There will be some parents who can't keep their kids there for sixth form simply because of the cost. Apparently post 16 students should be able to get themselves to school, even if it's miles away down country roads which I would never dare cycle on in daylight, never mind in the dark.

We would have been able to drive DS because we WFH but he's decided to move on to a sixth form in a new school where the local bus is £1 per journey with a young person discount.

ETA there are no public buses between the village and the school.

Needlenardlenoo · 27/08/2025 15:52

Caerulea · 27/08/2025 15:51

Unfortunately our college have entirely separated themselves from that, the council has nothing to do with it :(

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Good idea by the pp to tell the MP then.

Original poster
Caerulea · 27/08/2025 15:51

Needlenardlenoo · 27/08/2025 15:20

This might be useful OP.

Post-16 Travel Assistance - Cornwall Council https://share.google/wqR94lRUTALAfcMsy

Unfortunately our college have entirely separated themselves from that, the council has nothing to do with it :(

OP posts:
Cherrycola4 · 27/08/2025 15:22

We get a bursary of either money towards travel or food if you’re income is under 35k.

Comedycook · 27/08/2025 15:12

Gosh that's absolutely shocking op. I am very grateful that kids and teens get free bus travel in London...i really think it should be the case throughout the country

Original poster
Caerulea · 27/08/2025 15:12

EBearhug · 27/08/2025 15:04

It will be of little consolation, but my parents were making similar arguments to the council about the cost of transport to school in my 1980s rural Dorset school days. They ended up buying my younger sister a moped to get to 6th form college.

Of course, we weren't obliged to go to school for 6th form then, but I failed to pass my driving test until I was 19 (not for want of trying,) so I would have had as many issues getting to a job - more, in fact, as there was no public transport, just the school bus routes.

Rural children have never mattered when it comes to access to education.

Rural children have never mattered when it comes to access to education.

It really is this

OP posts:
Original poster
Caerulea · 27/08/2025 15:10

WellMaybeTomorrow · 27/08/2025 13:26

I think I’d look at mopeds again. If he’s doing the same route everyday he would know all the more tricky bits. I used to cycle all over the place when I was a teen in Cornwall. I guess there was less traffic but I don’t think it’s any worse than anywhere else.
The time the bus takes to do the journey is almost as crazy as the cost.
An ebike would get him there in an hour as they are capped at 15mph. That would save him loads of time and would save you a lot of money.

I think it really depends where you are, it would be hard work to even get out of the village due to the hill. It's just not a safe thing to be on where we are, I'm trying to think when I even last saw one lol.

I've also sat behind drivers who pass cyclists horrifically close cos there's not enough space to pass safely & it's all blind corners. You can sit behind a cyclist going 5mph for several miles cos there's nowhere safe to pass so some people lose their minds & do stupid shit instead.

OP posts:
wonderstuff · 27/08/2025 15:08

BetweenTwoFerns · 27/08/2025 15:05

Mine was similar. £6.50 a day. It drove me mad, especially when all the bus fares had a £2 cap but I was still paying £3.25 a journey.

My niece has to get the train and it’s a full fare because it’s before 9.30 and she’s over fifteen. I’ve got a feeling my sister pays £12 a day.

Your niece can get a 16-17 saver railcard for £35 a year and that will give her 50% discount even at peak times (why they can’t just sell the tickets to YP at this rate without a card I don’t know). The card does expire after a year or on 18th birthday whichever is sooner.

BetweenTwoFerns · 27/08/2025 15:05

Mine was similar. £6.50 a day. It drove me mad, especially when all the bus fares had a £2 cap but I was still paying £3.25 a journey.

My niece has to get the train and it’s a full fare because it’s before 9.30 and she’s over fifteen. I’ve got a feeling my sister pays £12 a day.

EBearhug · 27/08/2025 15:04

It will be of little consolation, but my parents were making similar arguments to the council about the cost of transport to school in my 1980s rural Dorset school days. They ended up buying my younger sister a moped to get to 6th form college.

Of course, we weren't obliged to go to school for 6th form then, but I failed to pass my driving test until I was 19 (not for want of trying,) so I would have had as many issues getting to a job - more, in fact, as there was no public transport, just the school bus routes.

Rural children have never mattered when it comes to access to education.