More than 600 pupils to lose school buses
MORE than 600 pupils across Surrey are to lose their school buses as part of county council cost-cutting.
MORE than 600 pupils across Surrey are to lose their school buses as part of county council cost-saving measures.
The affected students, who are not entitled to free transport, go to schools in Guildford, Elmbridge, Waverley, Reigate & Banstead, Mole Valley, Surrey Heath, Woking and Tandridge.
For those routes that have been saved from the chop, a standard £2.50 return fare will be introduced instead of the variable charges currently in use. The county council said the changes would save £828,000 a year.
In total, 22 school special services are to be cut from September 2011, affecting 628 youngsters.
Some 115 Howard of Effingham students will be left with no school bus after the 671, 672 and 678 routes - which travel from Oxshott and Ripley - were withdrawn.
The George Abbot School in Guildford is also losing three services, the 686, 699 and 823, affecting 81 pupils living in areas including Worplesdon and the outskirts of Woking.
Meanwhile, 70 students who live in Pyrford, West Byfleet and in between will no longer have the 837 bus to take them to Fullbrook School in New Haw.
Three routes that serve schools outside the county are also among those being axed - the 501 to Charters School in Sunningdale from Surrey Heath, the 801 to Tiffin Girls' School in Kingston from Elmbridge, and the 808 to Nonsuch School in Cheam from Stoneleigh and Ewell.
Replacement service
In east Surrey, Reigate School and Reigate College are losing their joint 677 service, affecting 44 students who travel from Charlwood, Horley and Salfords.
Paul Rispoli, principal at Reigate College, said: "I think the county council have used as scientific a method as one can and they have clearly done some research to get a good idea of which routes could be cut.
"They have brought out what they believe to be the best possible revision of routes."
At Reigate School meanwhile, head teacher John Cain added: "It seems that Surrey County Council have listened to the concerns that have been raised about changing things too soon.
"You have got to give people a fair amount of time because the accessibility of a school affects admissions.
"We are looking into the impact it could have when they do withdraw bus services in 2011."
The school and college, as well as Oakwood School in Horley, will however benefit from the public 424 service, a renumbered and revised version of the current 324 bus.
A fixed return price of £2.50 has been arranged for students, but Mr Rispoli said: "The issues with this are going to be whether the replacement bus services that they are promising will be adequate for all our pupils."
Councillor Ian Lake, county council cabinet member for transport, said: "We have sympathy with parents, these are not easy decisions to make.
"But the financial position the council and the country finds itself in means we have to look very closely at these issues.
"We've been through a very careful and consultative process. Like the with the public bus review, we wanted to make sure we didn't affect people too much.
"We have decided to phase the introduction in, so it will start in September 2011 to give parents and schools a chance to look at the options."
The council said the school special services were costing £1.67m a year but only serve 5% of the county's 60,000 secondary school children, resulting in a £750 annual subsidy for every student.
Routes that have been axed cost the authority more than £15 a day per child.
The Pegasus bus service, which provided free travel for primary school children in and around Guildford, has already been withdrawn by the council.
Cllr Lake confirmed children who were statutorily entitled to free school transport would still receive it.
He added: "We have the offer on the table to help the schools set up their own bus service.
"We have said we can advise and purchase buses for schools as we can get a better deal by buying in bulk.
"We will facilitate that but what we won't do is manage it [the bus service]."
Services not being cut are those where more than 50% of students using them are entitled to free transport, where the annual county council subsidy would be £20,000 a year or under, and where a potential impact on admissions had been identified.
They include routes to some schools that are also seeing others axed, like George Abbot, Kings International College in Camberley, Esher High, Hinchley Wood School, Reigate College, Woking College, St John the Baptist in Woking and Reigate School.
Esher High's head teacher, Simon Morris, said: "We are pleased that, from our understanding, the 514 bus route is to be retained.
"We are however very disappointed that the 663 has been identified as one of the routes to be cut and we will now be reviewing the situation in consultation with our parents who are impacted by this cut in service.
"As a school we need time to consider the decision of the Surrey County Council cabinet in greater detail.
"Following this, even at this late stage, we are likely to be seeking to challenge the decision regarding the 663 route."
In Surrey Heath, four school buses that carry hundreds of children to Collingwood College in Camberley have been spared the axe following a parent-led campaign.
College principal Jerry Oddie said the points they had made - that cutting the buses would end up costing the council more - seemed to have got through.
"At the end of the day we did what we set out to do and I think the parents did so with magnificent support," he said.
Mr Oddie added that one of the most powerful arguments was that the loss of the buses would adversely affect school admissions.
He said: "We made the financial argument that to take the buses away from Collingwood might have saved thousands but would cost them [the county council] tens of thousands building more places in other schools."
Parents of children at Bishop Wand School in Sunbury were also encouraged to protest to the council - head teacher Toby Miller previously saying he was "concerned" by the proposals - and its 655, 656 and 695 services are also being kept.
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Oxshott
Pyrford
Hinchley Wood
Worplesdon