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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think DC shouldn't have pay full train fares

32 replies

bruffin · 27/02/2011 23:05

to go to school when they are in compulsory education, when they get a discount once they get to 6th form or college.

DS will be 16 in September. He goes to a school which is 7 miles a way so needs to get a train to school. DD is there as well. It is not the closest school but we did accept the fact there would be fares to pay. it works out at about £55 a half term for a season ticket each.

In September he will be eligible for adult fares, although we can buy a 4 month season ticket in advance before his birthday we can still get it at a child rate, this means we will still have to pay adult fares for about 2 terms.

If he was 16 in 6th form or college he can pay £10 for train card from Hertfordshire CC which will give him a discount of a 1/3.

Does anyone know any way round this. Student railcards are no good because they have a minimum fare during the week.

OP posts:
UniS · 27/02/2011 23:07

ask LEA what is available for 16 yr old school pupils , some counties do a "scholars" ID card to give child fare on certain routes to this age group.

BeerTricksPotter · 27/02/2011 23:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PaperView · 27/02/2011 23:10

Depends where you are but here if you are in a school uniform and travel at a time appropriate to going to school you pay the child fare.

worraliberty · 27/02/2011 23:10

Yes you do have to factor it in when choosing.

We're very lucky here that buses are free for kids (oyster cards) but trains are not although I think they're discounted.

scurryfunge · 27/02/2011 23:12

Could he attend the closest school and have cheaper fares?

nailak · 27/02/2011 23:12

when i was at school we used to get free travel card from lea if the school was more then 3 miles away.

sparklyblack · 27/02/2011 23:17

Very annoying, yes. A particular bugbear of my DDs was/is that they had to pay full fare on trains and buses once aged 16 and in year 11/12/13, but pupils at the local college doing NVQs etc had student cards so got student discount, whereas student cards aren't available for 6th formers. IMO it penalises children who choose to stay at 6th form not go to college. So am just wondering though you say he can get £10 train card from council at 6th form, do you know if that is actually right or just assumed? Sorry if that sounds rude, not meant to be, I'm just trying to ask if switching to a closer school for 6th form might be an idea for your DS.

Nothing you can do at the moment unfortunately :(.

worraliberty · 27/02/2011 23:19

It's sad isn't it if they have to switch from a school they're doing really well at because they can't afford to travel. How about cycling? Is that a realistic option?

JaneS · 27/02/2011 23:20

Can he not get a 16-25 railcard? It'll get him a third off the price.

Original poster
bruffin · 27/02/2011 23:23

I did factor in fares but it was worth paying for the school, just didn't think 5 years in advance and it scary how fast it has flown Shock. He passed an aptitude test to get into it otherwise he wouldn't have got a place. He wouldn't qualify for free travel as there are nearer schools.
He will be halfway through his gcses so would not really a good time to change school.
I just don't think it's fair that he has to pay full fare when he is in compulsory education but would get a discount if he was the same age in 6th form.

OP posts:
worraliberty · 27/02/2011 23:27

Ahh but he doesn't have to attend that school. Money is so tight I guess the LEA are right really to think that if a parent wants to send their child out of the catchment they should have to pay the fares or at least find a way of getting there Sad

Original poster
bruffin · 27/02/2011 23:31

sparkleyblack schools 6th forms can now register to get student discount cards. My friend has managed to get it for her son at a local school.
Yes the traincard from Hertfordshire cc is fact

The problem is he isn't in 6th form he will only be year 11.

We can afford to pay the money but it is eating into our disposable income and we seem to have less and less of that now. We will also have the same problem in 2 years as we also have DD who is also a september baby so will be 16 for the whole of year 11.

OP posts:
BeerTricksPotter · 27/02/2011 23:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
bruffin · 27/02/2011 23:34

"Can he not get a 16-25 railcard? It'll get him a third off the price"

No good as there is a minimum fare of £12 and doesn't help for season tickets.

OP posts:
GrimmaTheNome · 27/02/2011 23:35

Ahh but he doesn't have to attend that school

but presumably he wouldn't have to for 6th form either but he'd get a discount then. It does seem like an anomaly if pre-6th form 16 year olds can't get the CC train card.

sparklyblack · 27/02/2011 23:37

Ah ok thanks for that, will tell DD2 to ask about that at school as they have previously said student discount cards aren't available.. She has a 16-25 card now though but still useful for school's future pupils.

GrimmaTheNome · 27/02/2011 23:40

Beertricks, the unfairness there was that children attending more distant faith schools ever did get free travel in the first place. There was no free travel for any other choice of non-closest school (e.g. parents who specifically didn't want a faith school and that was nearest always had to pay)

BeerTricksPotter · 27/02/2011 23:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GrimmaTheNome · 27/02/2011 23:57

Beertricks, maybe in the one case you know of it seems like a nitpick but there's thousands of kids who've been getting preferential treatment in this regard because their parents choice was 'faith' rather than something else. And what was likely to have ended up happening if they hadn't stopped this discriminatory practice is that they would have had to pay for every child whose parents chose a more distant school for whatever philosophical reason.

If someone actively chooses the non-local school then if they think their child's transport should be paid for then surely everyones should be?
(sorry,deviating from OP!)

BeerTricksPotter · 28/02/2011 00:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
bruffin · 28/02/2011 00:11

I am not asking for free travel, just annoyed that he has to pay adult fares to get to school when he is still in compulsory education.

sparkle how to get nus card for 6th forms

OP posts:
llbeanj · 28/02/2011 00:20

can you ask the council why they have this rule, and can they do something about it.

a 50% off bus card is valid if you are 16 and in compulsory education but a 50% off train card isnt - that is stupid!

Ryoko · 28/02/2011 00:29

Work is compulsory as well, as is food shopping, and trips to the job centre maybe we should get a free or reduced price ride for those as well.

Personally I don't see why Students get a discount, that is the anomaly.

Kids go free here but personally I think thats a stupid idea, your never going to get rid of childhood obesity when they can waddle on the bus for free at any time of day and take it one stop to the chip shop and back.

llbeanj · 28/02/2011 00:38

work isnt compulsory- and you get paid for it - but that has nothing to do with this

the anomoly here is that everyone under 16 gets half-price travel,
anyone 16-18 in college / 6th form gets half price travel,
16 year olds in school get half price bus travel,
but 16 year olds in school pay full price for trains

that can't be what is supposed to happen

Ryoko · 28/02/2011 00:49

Well it practically is, if the majority didn't work this country would be fucked.

Trains are private companies that have no connections to local government only central, bus companies buy routes from the local government and have to abide by licensing rules to keep those routes.

thats why things are different the systems the different transport types work under in order to be licensed is different and under the control of different people.