College transport non existent

[Reallyneedsaholiday]

Why is it so shit? DD goes to our “local” college. 18 miles away. Minimum 3 buses or bus, train, bus and 15 minute walk. Minimum 2 1/2 hours to get there. When she signed up, in September, there was a direct bus, albeit meandering, which took an hour and a half, running once a day (7am) to college and then once a day leaving college at 5pm (home at 7pm). That lasted until October, when they cancelled it. Now, she needs to leave the house at 6.30 and doesn’t get home until 8pm, when the buses are running properly. This morning, she’s just come home after leaving at 6.30, still not even having made it there, due to bus cancellations and diversions (in case of scepticism she has photos of the bus stop signs saying “cancelled”) So that was £12 down the drain for transport costs to nowhere. I can’t take her myself, as I don’t have a car. I really don’t know what to do anymore. She’s unmotivated to even try and get there anymore (don’t really blame her). She’s missed quite a bit (although her attendance isn’t the worst in the group). If she leaves, I could be fined and would lose all child benefit, child maintenance etc. without qualifications it’s really hard to get a job. We don’t live “in the back of beyond” but in a reasonable sized and growing town. AIBU to think that a reasonable standard of (affordable and efficient) public transport should be available for college, especially given that it is a legal requirement to remain in education until 18?

My parents bought my sister a moped in similar circumstances, but if you cannot afford a car, you may not be able to afford a moped, either. I assume there's an alternative route to motorway, though it might add on some miles.

You should take it up with your County Councillor and MP.

On the subject of Hampshire, I was on the road in Basingstoke just as a couple of buses were coming out of QMC, and I did wonder if my taxes were going towards the double decker with what appeared to be just one or two passengers, becauseif so, it doesn'tseem the most efficientuse of money. But maybe it also goes on to BCOT, and maybe it was particularly empty because of the start of half term.

This is the first sensible answer. She would only need boarding for 5 nights and would be out at college all day.

what's the length of the non-motorway alternative route?
if you know anyone in your town who drives, could you ask them if they'd be willing to help out with lifts - even just taking her to the nearest place where there is a direct bus might make a huge difference.

separate question: Why not go back to school & retake the gcses?

OP I think the best option may be to try to find another student from nearby who drives and see if they will take your DD too. If you offer £10 a day most students would be very happy to give a lift and you’d save a bit too.

Private electric scooters are illegal to ride in the UK on public roads or pavements.

It is the local one. She clearly says so in her post.

I agree the post 16 educaction landscape is a bit of a mess and there is no transport plan to back it up.

If you want to do 3 A levels at your closest school its ok. But if you miss grades or want a vocational route its been underfunded and spread out. My area the schools dont even have sixth forms anyway. You have to go to college. There isnt a mechanism to retake gcses other than maths and english. You can do a vocational level 2 course alongside that, but not in my town.

Have you made sure you've got any travel cards available to reduce costs. Theres a card in my la area that 16 -19 year olds get discounted bus fairs. That doesnt help logistics and time though.also some colleges have bursaries. (Again not a help if no bus turns up)

Contact the college.

If others are in a similar situation, the attendance records will show and they might be able to point you into the right direction.

Generally you & DD need to try and find other students in your town or village and pool together. Either car share or pay for a taxi or mini bus.

Public transport is shit but as things are these days, travelling to & from work or college is normal. You need to see the bigger picture here and get your DD more mobile.

YABU for living in the middle of no where without think ahead to where your kids would go for their education.

I think people don’t realise how much the landscape has changed. My colleague is in a fairly built up part of Surrey & her dd has a 3 hour plus journey to & from college & only 1 mode of transport.

I know you laughed at this but my eldest (16) does a 23 mile cycle to college. Joined the gym so can go and shower on site. Takes clean clothes in the panniers. I got an Ebike on a salary sacrifice scheme for my job.

@Secretseverywhere OP mentioned motorway.

@EBearhug I went to QMC many many years ago and I can’t remember there being buses from there. There certainly wasn’t one to where I lived

Another school sixth form in a neighbouring county to where I live has just announced its closure. The 16-19 landscape is definitely changing

I went to QMC many many years ago and I can’t remember there being buses from there. There certainly wasn’t one to where I lived
There were two double deckers coming out of the road last night, and there's nothing else down there, as it's not a through road. But to be fair, I was mostly focussed on not driving into anything else on the roundabout. So I googled. https://www.qmc.ac.uk/qmc-direct-bus-service/

(Sorry, OP, this doesn't help you.)

Could she take a year out to work and save for driving lessons and a car then start college again next year? I know doesn’t seem ideal but doesn’t seem like she can reliably get there without a car

We have a bus service, although unreliable, but it cost £400 a term to buy the bus pass which you have to pay upfront, no instalment options.

Staying in education is great in theory but they definitely didn’t look at how difficult and expensive it is for families in rural areas.

Mine have all starting driving lessons as soon as they reach 17 because of how difficult it is to get places without a car here.

@EBearhug thank you for the link. Those buses wouldn’t have helped me then. But does show the way 6th form provision has changed. Those buses go to Andover and Newbury. I wouldn’t say either of those towns are rural and they are pretty large but I also wouldn’t have thought anyone from those towns would have gone to QMC in my day, so the 6th form provision which was available then must have gone or have a much more restricted offer than it did. Andover to Basingstoke is 28 miles by motorway. Those buses will be going the more scenic and therefore longer route.

So all the smug people saying OP shouldn’t live where she does and there’s 6th form provision where they live doesn’t mean there always will be.

@sittingonabeach
Andover to Basingstoke is 28 miles by motorway. Those buses will be going the more scenic and therefore longer route.

Not certain how Basingstoke & Andover come into it (don't think the OP mentioned them?) but they are certainly not connected by motorway, it is the A303 and the A30. Duel carriageway yes but certainly not motorway.

@Nourishinghandcream I was replying to another poster. But it demonstrates how the landscape of 6th Form provision has changed

If she really cannot get there now, and there is nowhere closer where she can study, she will have to get a job I guess?

An apprenticeship would still require some college attendance I think.

How much is an Uber? Even one way?

Do the college have a car sharing scheme she can ask on?

If OP is going to consider Ubers she could instead contact local taxi companies and see if they’ll agree regular routine taxis at a discount. Cheaper and more reliable than uber.

But probably still more expensive than the £12 a day OP can only just afford.

I’m not going to offer options as that’s not what OP asked and I’m sure she can think of them all herself.

but I do think there is a general point in parents not really thinking about this. It’s totally normal in unconnected areas(and a bus twice a day taking 90 mins is prettty unconnected imo)

my cousins were in a French ski resort and at a certain age everyone had to board. There was no way to access secondary education on a daily basis so you simply left your parents home to do so.
there are lots of online options in other remote communities

in the uk we haven’t really moved on from “they should be able to get there without me doing much” and maybe that’s just not realistic

Definitely contact the local MP and bus provider to see about reinstating the bus route. They threatened to close our very well used and efficient local small bus route until we protested. Then they backfired! No idea why it was originally planned to be shelved as it’s very well used!

Is there a secondary school with a sixth form closer by, or did she miss the grade requirements for it?

I hope you can afford to buy them a car then, or live in a place with good transport coverage.

Neither of the things OP has.

No but there will be a non motorway option to get anywhere. I know this as I rode a motorbike for several years on both a CBT licence and a full licence.