Rather than fork out up to £1,200, on bus fares, the parents of a 17-year-old Appleby Grammar School student say they are in the ridiculous situation of having to follow a “half empty” coach so their daughter can continue her education.
Charlotte Marston, who lives near Great Asby, which is about five miles away from Appleby, has to be driven to school by either her father, Stuart, or her mother, Carol, while her brothers, 15-year-old Jay and 11-year-old Toby, get to ride on the bus.
They benefit from free school transport, but there is no statutory duty for Cumbria County Council to fund free transport for post-16 students like Charlotte.
Despite it being the law that she must stay in some form of education until she is 18, her parents understand it would cost up to £400 a term for her to be able to join her brothers on the school bus.
Stuart, a cabinet maker and farmer, said: “It seems stupid to be following a bus to Appleby five days a week when it is half empty and she could be sat on it.
“There is a free seat on there for somebody to go to Appleby, but it is not getting used unless it gets paid for.”
He added: “In this day and age of a green environment, we are trying to grow trees to save the planet and not add to pollution. I think it is wrong that we are having to do this.”
A county council spokeswoman said: “The council works closely with schools to determine where seats can be offered and where there may be issues.
“The council’s school transport team is currently looking in detail at all relevant routes to identify if seats can be made available to accommodate requests.
“Free transport for post-16 students is only available from the council for qualifying post-16 students from ‘low income’ families and qualifying post-16 students who have a learning difficulty and/or disability.
“Recognising the challenges in a county like Cumbria the council has continued to work with schools to offer ‘spare seats’ on routes that are not entirely used by students with a transport entitlement.”
The spokeswoman added: “Where there is under occupancy on contracted routes, the council can offer these spare seats to pupils.
“However, the council’s policy is to ensure we meet our statutory obligations first and provide value for money.
“The availability of spare seats cannot be confirmed until the council is confident that all students who have a statutory entitlement have applied.
“This is not yet the case due to applications both from entitled and non-entitled students continuing past the application deadline.
“The school transport service provides transport to over 9,500 children in Cumbria with a statutory entitlement to free transport, and applications from families who meet the eligibility criteria must be prioritised.”
