Latest news with #buspasses
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Monmouthshire free school bus changes will remain, says council
A council that is removing free bus passes to some 300 children in September is not planning any changes to its next home-to-school transport move by Monmouthshire County Council will see it comply with Welsh government the new policy, free passes will only be offered to secondary school pupils who live three miles or more from their school and two miles for primary council's current offer is more generous, as it provides free travel for children who live 1.5 miles or more from their primary and two miles from their secondary school. The changes have been confirmed by the council which said providing free transport to pupils who live below the Welsh government's statutory distances was becoming unaffordable due to rising demand and operator Ann Brocklesby, the council's Labour leader, said as a result it had protected funding for said Monmouthshire was one of the last local authorities in Wales to go beyond the home-to-school transport distances required by law."By reverting to the statutory distances, we've been able to redirect this money into our schools to support education for all our learners," she said."In truth, if we had the funding, we wouldn't have done this, however, it is a result of a sustained period of underfunding for our public services." At a council meeting, Louise Brown, Conservative councillor for Shirenewton, asked if the policy - which has to be reviewed each year - had been delayed because no proposals for the 2026/27 policy were included in a list of forthcoming Wright, the Labour cabinet member for education, said the Welsh government was due to consult on guidance on learner travel and that the council would not alter its policy for 2026-27 while the guidance was under asked if parents would be notified that no changes would be made to the policy for the 2026-27 school year, and council transport chief Deborah Hill-Howells said the council website would be updated and all parents would be have to consult on home-to-school transport policies in the autumn term of the school year, before they come into force. This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.
BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Education boss dismisses Chailey School bus pass plea
A plea by a group of families to give their children bus passes to attend an East Sussex school has been dismissed. Bob Standley, lead member for education at East Sussex County Council, made his decision after considering a petition backing passes for the Chailey School students living in Town Littleworth Road, near Barcombe, had either lost or been turned down from receiving school bus passes, the petition said. The council denied that the decision was result of a "new policy" or "cost-cutting exercise", and said children did not receive passes if safe walking routes to school were available. The petition had been signed by over 1,000 people by Monday, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Strong, whose children have been impacted by the decision, said: "I wouldn't want to walk that route twice a day on my own, let alone [while] accompanying my children." Rachel Gilmore, another parent, said they were not consulted on the matter."Cars drive past really fast and there is no pavement or step up," Ms Gilmore support of the petition, a number of councillors expressed concerns over safety and the potential increase in car drop Standley said guardians were responsible for school transportation and said there was a "logistical challenge" to changing the said the decision could be appealed by the families.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Victory! After widow's plea, SNP finally stops free bus passes for thug teenagers
Free bus passes will be removed from young thugs who cause trouble on buses following a Mail on Sunday campaign. Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said people who abuse the SNP /Green under-22 bus scheme will have their passes confiscated or permanently removed. It represents a victory for widow Susan Rollinson, who has been urging the government to remove passes from repeat offenders who disrupt bus travel. The Mail on Sunday told how her husband, bus driver Keith Rollinson, 58, was killed by a 15-year-old yob at a bus station in Elgin, Moray, last year. And we highlighted how the youngster was eligible for the Scottish Government travel scheme introduced in 2022 – which allows under-22s unlimited free travel on Scotland's buses – even though he had already attacked another driver. The thug was sentenced to four years and four months in secure accommodation after admitting Mr Rollinson's culpable homicide. Last month Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay wrote to SNP Ministers demanding the teenager does not receive another bus pass after his release from custody, when he will be aged around 21. Now the SNP government has finally agreed to allow for temporary or permanent bans on bus cards for abusive passengers. Mrs Rollinson, 62, of Elgin, said: 'I am so grateful to The Mail on Sunday and Russell Findlay for making this change happen. I cannot thank them enough. 'I can never change what happened to my Keith, but if this changes anything for another family, I am happy.' The teenage killer – who cannot be named for legal reasons – attacked Mr Rollinson in February last year. The bus driver later died in hospital. In response to Mr Findlay's recent letter, Ms Hyslop confirmed bus passes could be confiscated from thugs. She said: 'The First Minister set out the Programme for Government. This includes the commitment to suspend use of concessionary travel cards on a temporary and potentially permanent basis as a result of antisocial behaviour when using the card. 'Detailed work on the best mechanism for achieving this is under way, including robust impact assessments, the development of a behaviour code and what future legislation will be required.' Ms Hyslop added: 'I have the greatest sympathy for Ms Rollinson and everything her family has been through. 'Bus drivers are too often impacted by the antisocial behaviour of a small minority of passengers. 'Everyone should be able to go to their work without fear of abuse and to travel safely on board public transport. Please pass on my condolences again to Ms Rollinson and her family.' Last night Mr Findlay welcomed the change but said more clarity was needed over when the SNP would implement the new bans. He said: 'While this commitment to finally do the right thing is very welcome, it's not good enough that the SNP are unable to say when it might happen. 'It appears they are making the process unnecessarily complicated. How difficult can it be to simply remove bus passes from killers and other violent thugs?'
