Home to School Transport change proposals

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capers123
Posts: 1865
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 9:03 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by capers123 »

Glos CC are planning to change free transport to schools as a result of budget cuts - full article at http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index ... eid=101362

Firstly, anyone already receiving free transport will not be affected until they're 16.

The changes include cutting more or less anything they do not have to legally provide: free transport to grammar schools ("this varies from district to district") & faith schools. I didn't realise that there was free transport to grammars!

They will continue to provide free transport if the nearest school is > 3 miles away (secondary) or 2 miles (primary).

There is a link to a consultation page, but it seems to be broken.

I do wonder if they would provide free transport to a grammar if it happens to be the closest school.

Living within reasonable walking distance, we're rather luck not to be affected.
Capers
Gypsypony
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2010 1:03 pm

Re: Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by Gypsypony »

Free transport to grammars :!: I like the sound of that, that'll be £750 back in the bank :D

Bet there's a distance, public transport, as the crow flies type catch :wink:
capers123
Posts: 1865
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 9:03 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by capers123 »

Gypsypony wrote:Free transport to grammars :!: I like the sound of that, that'll be £750 back in the bank :D

Bet there's a distance, public transport, as the crow flies type catch :wink:
No, they're cutting it, not providing it. Unless the grammar happens to be your closest school. Now can you honestly say it is, GP?
Capers
Gypsypony
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2010 1:03 pm

Re: Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by Gypsypony »

Definitely, ............. our closest GS that is :wink:
Warks mum
Posts: 538
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2007 11:30 am
Location: Warwickshire

Re: Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by Warks mum »

It's worth keeping an eye on this. In Warwickshire they announced this last year so 6th formers don't get funded to go 'cross county' to college any more. It's being phased in so there are enough Year 13s on our bus at the moment for it not to affect us.

We've been told that it's already having an effect on one bus going to DD's school which has been cancelled because the Council no longer needs to run it for the local college. The Year 7-11 pupils whose parents previously paid for a seat can't do so any more. The last I heard, the parents were trying to get another bus service running, to avoid the youngsters having a much longer journey to and from school on ordinary public transport.
gloucestermum
Posts: 739
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:14 pm
Location: Gloucester

Re: Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by gloucestermum »

I didn't realise that there was free transport to grammars!
We applied for a free pass for DS.At the time,if DS went to his nearest GS and it was more than 3 miles away he would have qualified.However,although Crypt is more than 3 miles away,Tommies is nearer by about 0.2 of a mile! So no free pass allowed.

I think this is going to be the beginning of a painful 4 years for the county as a whole..... :?
Milla
Posts: 2556
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:25 pm

Re: Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by Milla »

it's annoying when you don't qualify for the one which would bring you free transport! Pate's is our nearest so I was thrilled when DS2 got in thinking we'd get the free bus - but, no. Only applicable to Cheltenham residents. We took the council on saying this wasn't fair since it was a Glos school and there are no GSs in Tewks (which we fall into as, incidentally do lots of Chelt residents - those in Leckhampton, for instance) but ... tough.
Luckily, at the Marchants' office they persuaded me NOT to buy the full bus pass but to get the individual tickets - what a fantastic bit of advice. For various reasons I end up picking him up fairly regularly so no way would we get value out of a full pass. The bus takes about 45 minutes due to its meandering route and I can do the journey in 15 so often scoop him up on the way to or back from somewhere else. The individual bus tickets are sold on a buy 10, get one free basis so we will spend considerably less than the £525 that the full pass would cost plus I get a bit of time with him (trapped in the car, having to answer How Was Today type questions!) AND he gets home earlier. Plus enough bus to join in on whatever that has to offer.
Alice in Underland
Posts: 159
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:19 pm

Re: Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by Alice in Underland »

Sadly we live just inside the 3 mile limit so next year when I have 2 children at each of the Stroud Grammars I will be spending approx 80 pounds per month on bus fares just to get them to their nearest schools. It's a serious hike ( would require boots !) to get there on foot.

Looks as if I will just add to local traffic congestion by taking them to a convenient drop off point (Sainsburys) instead and they can walk from there.
slackmum
Posts: 139
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2009 10:21 pm

Re: Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by slackmum »

The way I read it Alice in Underland is that they will not be stopping the payment (if you pay your council tax to Stroud) until the September 2012 intake. They seem to be stressing that they will not take the free transport away from anyone who currently receives it until they reach the age of 16. So you should be fine if they are all in by next September.
hermanmunster
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Location: The Seaside

Re: Home to School Transport change proposals

Post by hermanmunster »

I think Alice in Underland lives just within the 3 miles so wouldn't get any free travel anyway
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