Students lash out at rise in bus fares
Feb 23 2007
By Dave Black, The Journal
Sixth form students in Northumberland have launched a fresh attack on a massive hike in school bus costs - and they insist they are being ripped off.
Anger erupted last year when the county council agreed a 53% rise in the annual cost of a bus pass for hundreds of A-level and college students - from £235 to £360.
The increase was slammed as unfair and a tax on rural families who live more than three miles from their local high school.
Now sixth-form students in Castle Morpeth have used the first edition of a new magazine to launch a renewed attack on the level of post-16 transport charges.
A front page article in Access magazine - based on the views of students at Ponteland High School and Morpeth's King Edward V1 School - accuses the council of making them pay over the odds for school bus passes. Yesterday Ponteland sixth former Cal Sherlock, who wrote the article after talking to fellow students, said: "Most said they thought they were being ripped off.
"They said their parents thought the charges were overpriced as well."
The rise was agreed last year as part of cost-cutting measures by the council.
The county's Labour leadership has since resisted a number of calls to find cash to reduce the impact of the increase. Last week they rejected a call to use part of a £12.5m windfall from Newcastle Airport to cushion the blow.
Six months ago, sixth formers at Haydon Bridge High School met Liberal Democrat president Simon Hughes in a bid to enlist his support for their protests over the rise.
In the Access magazine article Cal, 17, who lives near Stamfordham, says sixth formers are expected to fork out `ridiculously overpriced' fares every day, week or term, depending on how they choose to pay for bus travel.
"Either way it is still a rip-off," he said. "It isn't going to attract students to stay on to do A levels." He says most other students he has spoken to feel the same way. Yesterday Cal's father, Derek, said the increase hit families living in outlying areas. He said: "I have started taking him to school now because the transport charge is too high. People would be up in arms about a 53% fares increase on normal bus routes."
Since post-16 transport charges were first introduced in 2002, the number of sixth form students using school buses has plummeted from 2,700 to around 1,000. The council says the fees have not led to a drop in the numbers staying on to do A-levels.
Deputy leader Coun Peter Hillman said the council still provides most of the funding, about £1m, for post-16 transport.
He added: "Although we have tried to keep costs to students low, last year we did have to increase charges for post-16 students. This situation is similar to many other councils, while others don't give any support at all.
"We still pay about two-thirds of the cost of every student pass and make an average contribution of £640 per student. Students can apply for Education Maintenance Allowance of up to £30 a week to help with transport costs."