Free school transport scrapped in Hertfordshire

FREE school transport in Hertfordshire will be almost completely scrapped from next year, it has been agreed.

Hertfordshire County Council has approved plans to discontinue its concessionary travel programme, with the exception of children with statutory entitlement, from September 2012, in a bid to cut a �25m school transport bill.

Concessionary travel to faith schools and other discretionary arrangements will also be binned, with a new criteria for free transport introduced.

The council’s SaverCard concessionary scheme will be increased to �20 a year for children joining schools in September 2012.

County Councillor Richard Thake, executive member for education and skills, said the proposals would save the council between �5m and �6m.

“We have listened to the legitimate concerns of people who responded to the consultation, assessed the impact of our decisions, and will continue to consider exceptional circumstances in individual cases,” Cllr Thake said.

Certain groups of children with a legal right to school transport will be unaffected by the review.