South Wales Evening Post - 17 December 2008
Students face having to pay hundreds of pounds a year to get back and forth to school or college after Swansea Council decided to axe free bus transport.
From next year, access to free buses will be means tested — with those not eligible for support having to fork-out £330 a year. The move has been condemned by Plaid and the Conservatives — but the council said the change will save it £232,000 by the time it is fully implemented in 2010.
Council leader Chris Holley said: "Financial pressures are such that we have to make savings.
"This administration is very reluctant to introduce this proposal, but we have no choice given the poor settlement from the Assembly.
"The provision of post-16 transport is discretionary and we want to protect core services provided by schools.
"We have consulted widely and rather than withdraw the provision altogether, we have listened to the comments and decided to protect the least well-off, by making it means-tested."
The decision to axe the financial support was taken by the council's cabinet.
The council will continue to provide the buses for the service, but students not eligible for free school meals will have to pay £1.74 per day to get to their sixth-forms or colleges. The charge is irrespective of distance travelled. The changes will apply to new students only — existing students will continue with the current arrangements.
However, the cabinet was told that the position on post-16 transport may change in the future — the Assembly is currently working on the Learner Travel Measure, which will cover transport for pupils and students or those in training up to the age of 19.
The scrapping of free buses for all students was condemned by Rene Kinzett, leader of the Tory group on the council.
He said: "The decision to scrap the historic free transport arrangements for 16 to 18-year-olds in Swansea goes against everything I thought our education chiefs stood for.
And despite being part of the ruling coalition, Plaid councillor Darren Price said he was also against the change.
"I firmly believe that this extra cost on those attending post-16 education is unfair," he said.
