East Renfrewshire Council axes subsidised bus service for primary schools

Mar 9 2010 by Alison Rennie, Paisley Daily Express

PRIMARY school pupils in neighbouring East Renfrewshire are losing their subsidised bus service at the end of the term.

The local authority is axing its Pay and Go subsidised bus service for youngsters who live more than two miles away from their primary school.

Parents were asked to sign their children up to the plan and pay 50p a journey on the bus, which would take the child to and from their front door to the school.

It was set up in 2006 but was axed as part of the Labour-run council’s new budget because of a low take-up.

The move will affect 11 youngsters at Cross Arthurlie Primary in Barrhead, one pupil at Neilston Primary, six at St Thomas’ Primary in Neilston and three at Uplawmoor Primary.

Council spokesman Hugh Dougherty said: “In 2006 we moved back to the statutory two miles minimum distance for primary school pupils.

“At that time we brought in a subsidised bus service called Pay and Go which charged 50p a journey to cover some of the costs of the school bus.

“But it never really took off and since 2006 the numbers have gone down every year. We even had a winter seat sale recently to try and get more people to use it but that didn’t work.

“Most recently there were only 439 pupils signed up out of a possible 7,000. At one school there were only two pupils signed up and they had a 40 seater bus signed up for them.

“Parents have voted with their feet, they haven’t used the service. They’ve either car pooled or walk with their children to school.

“It costs £118,000 a year to run which is the equivalent of three full-time teachers in a classroom. The choice was to continue this service or lose three classroom teachers.

“We will continue the service until the end of the school term in June then we will help parents access alternative transport for their children.”

In Renfrewshire, the council’s decision to axe the free bus service for secondary school pupils living two miles away from their home has provoked fury among parents.

That decision, by the SNP/Lib Dem coalition council, was included in their annual budget plans and save £274,000.

From August, any secondary school pupil living more than two miles from their school will lose their free bus. Only pupils living three miles or more from their school will be entitled.