Parents criticise 'frustrating' school bus prices

Parents have said they are "angry" after a bus operator raised its prices for a home to school transport service.

Families from Chilton, Oxfordshire, whose children attend two schools in nearby Didcot, said their fees had risen from £599 to £899 per child for the current school year.

The Ridgeway Trust, which runs Didcot Girls School and St Birinus School, ended subsidy payments for parents last year, due to what it called "budget constraints".

Bus operator Thames Travel said it was introducing "flexible" payments for parents unable to pay in a lump sum.

Annabel Goodall, whose daughter attends Didcot Girls School, said she was "angry" at the rise but had been left with little choice but to pay.

"We cannot drive our daughter Didcot because we have another child still in primary school," she said.

"We're frustrated... but we're fortunate [because] other families can't afford to do that".

Mrs Goodall said parents did not blame the Trust for ending the subsidies.

In a statement, Georgina Littler, CEO of Ridgeway Education Trust, said "constraints on school budgets" meant they could no longer subsidise bus fees.

"We know this change has been frustrating for some parents, and we do not underestimate the impact, particularly at a time when many households are experiencing financial pressures," she said.

"However, the price of tickets is a Thames Travel decision over which the schools have no influence."

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Thames Travel, said: "We are committed to providing a comprehensive bus network that works for scholars in and around Didcot.

"Following a review of subsidy arrangements with Ridgeway Education Trust, it was necessary to review the pass prices on our network of 'BB' services for this academic year, in order to maintain the required level of service from all locations."

The MP for Didcot and Wantage, Olly Glover, said the rise was a "big concern" and that he would be investigating further.

He added: "We already have horrendous traffic in Didcot particularly around school times... we want more people to use the bus, or walk and cycle".

Free home to school bus travel is provided by Oxfordshire County Council only to children who attend the secondary school nearest to their home.

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