Who would you expect to solve this issue?

[Diamondsgreen]

Secondary school with a good reputation takes children from several surrounding towns. Not their closest school, but parental preference, therefore parents have to pay for transport.

Previously a good service was provided by a private contractor at a reasonable price, on multiple routes. They liaise with the school re term dates etc, but this is not a school bus, it is run by the bus company seperately to the school. Theoretically it is a service bus, anyone who pays the fare can use it, although it is very much geared towards school times and routes.

Anyway, there have been changes massive fare increases and the routes/times now mean some children are having to leave home at 6:30am for what would be a 30 min journey in a car. The bus company says this is the only way to make the route viable.

Parents are up in arms, feel they chose the school when the bus was available and are demanding the school fixes it.

I don't think the school can, but should the council or MP help, or is it, as it always was, the parents' problem to find a suitable way to get DC to school?

The school can't fix it and the bus company may be telling the truth when they say the route isn't viable without these changes. What a pain. Your MP and the local council could be good starting points, maybe get up a petition for subsidising the route.

It's for the parents to solve, but this could include petitioning the school/raising money for a school bus service and/or talking to their MP/local council about subsiding/providing a suitable bus route.

Definitely involve the local council. Where I live there is a route which has recently added capacity at school times after parents sought help from councillors so they can and do help with stuff like this.

The council has a responsability to help with transport to the nearest school with space. If they chose this over a nearer school, its the parents responsibility.

Parents' problem. No way do I want stretched public funds being used to subsidise parents who chose to send their kids to a school too far away.

School can’t fix this.

some private schools have parent arranged buses but the cost is usually significantly more than standard bus fare.

parents could try organising a bus themselves I suspect they’ll find it’s expensive.