Re. School buses.

[ramblinrose]

From April of this year,our County Council (Derbyshire) will remove funding for most of the school bus services.

These buses are not provided free of charge.My son pays 50p per journey to his local catchment area senior school.So £20 per month goes on school bus fares.
My neighbour has 3 dds at this school,so already pays a fair amount to get her children to and from school.

From April they will either have to catch the service bus or,if enough people are willing,carry on with the school bus at a cost of £1 per journey.
Either way,it will cost twice as much to send our children to school as it does now.
It seems incredible that it will cost my neighbour £120 per month on school bus fares.
The school is just over 2.5 miles away.I suppose it could be argued that this is within walking or cycling distance,but it is not the most pleasant of routes with at least two terrible roads to cross during rush hour traffic.
Neither of us drive btw.

So,AIBU please.
I know councils have to save money,and we're all in this together,but it seems a bit extreme to me.

What aboit seeing if there are a few of you in the same boat and speaking to a local taxi firm about putting on a people carrier/minibus? 2.5 miles shouldn't cost much split between 6 kids plus.

It's not a bad suggestion, learning to drive, when the OP has stated no reason why not. (Obviously she can't afford it though.) You'd think I'd said something bloody awful ffs.

I do not understand why you would choose to live in a rural area if you can't drive. It seems stupid. There are more rental properties available in towns than there are rurally, which follows they will have better transport links.

I think if the OP is facing financial hardship with the increase in bus fare she is going to find it impossible to fund driving lessons and the purchase of a car, its insurance, tax, repairs and fuel. You are taking for granted that everyone has the same choices that you have.

With respect to rental properties, it depends where you live, where your family reside, where your job is, as to how to make those decisions, but I know where I live you often don't have a choice as to where you can rent as rental properties are in such a high demand.

Love the way you ignore the fact I said the OP obviously couldn't afford it, and I have ALREADY stated that I agree it's expensive.

My objection is to the continued attitude that i have suggested something awful with all the folks whining about how awful it is to suggest it. The OP did not say, "I don't drive because I have a phobia" or anything. So why shouldn't I suggest it? All the people suggesting cycling, maybe YOU shouldn't have said that as bikes are expensive, and what if her son has a phobia of cycling?

I think you are taking it a bit too personal, sorry if I have offended you.

A cool scooter? Teens do use micro scooters.

The driving suggestion makes no sense to me as it would cost more per year to buy, depreciate, tax insure and fuel a car. And driving lessons are extremely expensive. Do economically that makes no sense to someone worried about bus fare costs.

Agincourt. I find that comment quite passive aggressive TBH.

I am not being passive aggressive

DoesNotGiveAFig-we bought this house 20 years ago.I have to admit that the locality of secondary schools was not high on the agenda at that point in time.
If it had crossed my mind I would have been confident (perhaps wrongly) that as we would be using the catchment area school,our children would enjoy the service of a school bus!

Also,learning to drive is way beyond my means at this moment in time.

We are not actually in a really rural area.As I have said in an earlier post,there will be a bus he could catch,my concern with that would be the extra cost (£40 per month as opposed to £20), also this bus is already busy at 8am.It will probably go sailing past the stop.

blu-he's only 12 (although sensible).Not sure if I'd be confident letting him use an electric scooter on that route!

I'm interested to know what the deleted comment said.Was it very bad?

blu sorry,you meant micro scooter.
Thought you meant one with a battery thing

oh it was just something about people having children and not being able to afford them or something, it was just rude, don't worry about it.

I do think it's unfair they would raise the fare by 100% with very little notice. Like you say, for one child it's bad enough, but when you have 2 or 3 children (or even more) it's hell of a jump in price.

Thanks Agincourt I'm really nosy.

My DCs get a free bus pass at the moment as they attend different(prim./sec.) church schools 6 miles away.
As from September our CC have removed this entitlement and we will then have to pay £350 per child per year.

I thought this was alot, but after reading this . I think we are lucky!

OP - You're lucky. My dc's school bus is being removed altogether from the end of this academic year - it's an 8 mile walk each way, or 2 buses taking about 1.5 hours each way costing about £5 per child per day. So impossible. we could move house - not really a cheap option exactly. I'm seriously considering taxis - cost an arm and a leg but I can't drive and even if I could, the 3 hours there and back it would take me to drive ie lost work time plus costs in car, insurance and petrol probably make it more cost effective.

I currently spend £1500 a year on school buses.

breadandbutterfly
That sounds terrible,but you've left me a little confused.
I was led to believe that if the catchment area school was over 3 miles
away,transport has to be provided free of charge.

I would look into this if I were you.

we get free passes as the local high school here was closed down so all other schools are 3+miles away and the schools that have no become an academy no longer have a school bus so parents now have to pay as council wont fund the travel,its £1 a bus so £4 a day my friend has to pay :( and they have just cut free passes for faith schools too,i think alot of councils are doing this to save money.

My ds starts at secondary school in September and has been turned down for free bus pass as we live 2.85 miles from school. Half of village is over 3 miles so will still get pass. The route has been assessed safe to walk in the company of an adult, but not unaccompanied or to cycle. We will not be able to pay as the buses are being cut. My options are - pay £80 per term to use service bus(if there is room), walk him(have 2dd's at primary so they would have to come with us, walk nearly 12 miles a day and be late for school) or drive. I am lucky, I have a car and don't work, others in my situation are not so lucky. A friend has 2dc's at school and works, she will have to pay £160 per term to get them to school.