Hundreds of school children in Fife face losing their free bus passes under cost-cutting proposals tabled by education officials.
With Fife Council facing a £32 million shortfall this year, The Courier has learned one savings option being seriously considered is a change in the local authority’s free transport policy which would alter the eligibility criteria.
The council currently gives free bus passes to primary children who live more than one mile away from their school and two miles for secondary pupils.
Up to 2,000 pupils could be affected if a move to the national requirement of two and three miles respectively is pursued, as suggested to councillors by officers.
Shelagh McLean, interim executive director, stressed no decisions have been taken but confirmed the plan had been put forward as a potential saving.
She explained: “While there’s no specific proposal to change entitlement to school travel, it has been highlighted to councillors as a service that potentially could be adjusted to the national thresholds thus contributing to the savings the council must make in the years ahead.
“Councils must provide free transport to any pupil who lives outwith the statutory walking distance which is two miles for any pupil under eight years of age and three miles for any other pupil.
“We currently provide free transport to the catchment school for primary stage pupils who live more than one mile from this school and for secondary stage pupils who live more than two miles from this school.
“The current number of pupils we transport, on this basis, is 10,000.
“The numbers of pupils that could be affected by any change would be entirely dependent upon the thresholds implemented.
“However, this is likely to be in the order of 20% of that total.”
Various areas in Fife could be affected by any change, including parts of Windygates where issues have previously been identified.
Due to the fact that much of Windygates lies within two miles of the gates of the new Levenmouth Academy, it had been suggested that pupils would not be given a bus pass and were instead going to be expected to walk to school.
That raised the prospect of youngsters having to travel along poorly lit, narrow footpaths and crossing the busy A915 with very little in the way of road crossing measures.
On that occasion, however, Mid Fife and Glenrothes MSP Jenny Gilruth was one of those who intervened and the council agreed to back down, although news of the latest proposal has once more bred uncertainty.
“I am both disappointed and concerned to learn that Fife Council is considering this proposal so soon after giving me a personal assurance that all pupils travelling from Windygates to the new Levenmouth Academy would be provided with a free bus pass,” Ms Gilruth said.
“This situation has already caused a lot of distress for the Windygates community and this latest blow is sure to anger a lot of parents and pupils who may now be unfairly penalised.
“I would urge all Fife councillors to put this at the forefront of their minds when considering this proposal.”
