Preston Bus say school services risk being scrapped if they don't start making money

Parents raised concerns after Preston Bus hiked the price of its weekly travel pass to Fulwood Academy and Corpus Christi high schools from £11.80 to £16 for the new term, whilst a day ticket now costs £4.80.

It means families now have to fork out an extra £22.50 a month when many are feeling the pinch from the rising costs of living.

For a family sending two children to school, it is an extra £300 compared to last year.

You can read what parents said about the price hike - and why the extra cost is such a worry for families – in our report here.

But Preston Bus said raising ticket prices was unavoidable due to the growing costs of running school services, which it described as “heavily loss making”. Otherwise, the buses would have to be withdrawn altogether, it said.

In a statement to the Post, the company said it had sought help from Lancashire County Council but was told funding wasn’t available to help subsidise its school bus fleet.

It also warned that services to Fulwood Academy and Corpus Christi are to be reviewed in the coming months. If the company is still losing money on them, they could be axed altogether.

Preston Bus has not announced any plans to increase fares on its other, non-school services at this stage.

A spokesman from Preston Bus said: “It is with regret that we have to increase our fares on these services, however due to rising wages and increases in fuel costs this has meant these services are heavily loss making.

"We have discussed the situation we are faced with since the beginning of the year with both the school and Lancashire County Council to try and find a solution other than a fare increase to reflect the costs of operating the services.

"Unfortunately no alternative funding streams have been identified which has led us to this situation.

"These services will be reviewed in the coming months to ensure they are now viable which should hopefully avoid them being withdrawn altogether.

"We are committed to providing high quality, reliable school bus services for pupils of these schools. The increase in fares will allow us to continue operating these services and means we don't have to cancel the services entirely.

"Certain parents may be entitled to free home to school travel for their children and we recommend you check the LCC website for more information.”

Lancashire County Council were approached for comment.

What do parents say?

James Hillyard, whose child attends Corpus Christi, said: “In the current climate of cash strapped families, it’s pretty obscene.

“I thought we were supposed to be reducing our carbon footprint, but this will just push more people to drive their kids to school. It’s a ridiculous move by Preston Bus.

"I understand costs have gone up, I run a small business myself and material and energy costs have definitely increased. I have seen this in a real world perspective.

“However, on a guaranteed to be full bus service like these, I don't see how this is anything but profiteering."

What do the schools say?

A spokesperson for Fulwood Academy said: “We are acutely aware of the financial pressures on families at the moment, and we are concerned to find out about the proposed transport rises just before the summer break.

"This is something that will not just impact on our students, but young people across the city who use transport provided by Preston Bus to get to their schools.

“We immediately met with Preston Bus to explore what was being done to try and limit the impact on families.

"As this is a private contract, there is no official requirement for the company to consult on any cost increases – but we were grateful to them for talking through the pressure they are under with the increased costs they are facing.

“While Preston Bus has assured us they are trying to pursue grants to help reduce the cost increases they have to pass on, there is also more immediate practical support that parents can consider.

"We are advising all parents who receive grants or benefits, or who may struggle with payments, to apply to the Local Authority directly for support. Details are available on the LA’s website.”

What financial help is available to parents?

Some parents might quality for assistance with their child's travel costs on the following grounds:

- If you live three miles or more away and your child attends the nearest primary or secondary school.

- If you are a low-income family and your child attends one of the three nearest secondary schools, provided the distance to the school attended is between two and six miles.

Visit the Lancashire County Council website for more information on free and partially subsidised transport to school.