board bus 320
SCHOOLCHILDREN in Merseyside could be the first nationwide to get automatic free bus passes.
The region is poised to pilot a scheme that would see the biggest expansion in free school travel in 60 years as a direct attack on the school run.
Those behind the bid say that if more children caught buses to and from school, fewer cars would use roads at rush hour and pollution would fall. Presently, only children living three miles away from their school can claim a free pass – a system which costs Merseyside around £5m a year. Proposals being costed would see all Merseyside pupils given term-time bus passes valid 7.30am to 5.30pm on weekdays.
An average family with two school-age children would also save £60 a month under the plans.
The proposal would roll out free passes regardless of a pupil’s distance from school. Merseytravel chairman Cllr Mark Dowd proposed the scheme at a joint meeting of England’s six passenger transport authorities (PTA) and has put Merseyside forward to trial the scheme before roll-out elsewhere.
The authorities’ officers are now working out the cost – ahead of a bid being made to central government.
It is hoped the Department for Transport would meet the cost, meaning the final go-ahead will rest with the secretary of state, Ruth Kelly.
Last night, Cllr Dowd said: “The Government is saying we need to get kids out of private cars. This is an excel-lent opportunity to do that because it would make children more streetwise and more used to buses.
“We don’t know how many use commercial buses, but we know lots of kids using cars could use public transport.
“We believe, with a little bit of goodwill with regards to the Government and bus compan-ies, we can do this. Every-body’s agreed this is the way forward, it’s just a case of sorting out the logistics.”
The plans are on the agenda for a meeting of the PTAs – which cover Merseyside, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Birmingham and Tyne and Wear – in July.
Merseyside has led the field on free public transport for the over-60s and the disabled. The region’s pensioners have travelled free on trains, ferries and buses since 1988.
But a scheme rolled out nationally on April 1 allows pensioners and those with disabilities to use passes for travel outside of their locality.
That scheme – known as the English National Conces-sionary Travel Scheme – costs the region £40m.
Merseyside’s largest bus service provider, Arriva, greeted the school travel plans warmly.
An Arriva spokesperson said: “In principle, we are all for more people using the bus. If it helps to get more cars off the street during the school run, it will help reduce congestion and exhaust emis-sions for all road users We would encourage that because it would help other bus users get to their destina-tions quicker.”
But he said the company would be keen to see the detail of how Arriva would be paid for the extra passengers.
Cllr Dowd added: “More children on the buses is better for the kids and more profit for the bus companies. It’s a win-win. I’ve just come home on the train and while I get free travel because I’m over 60, none of the school kids do, which isn’t right.”
Cllr Dowd is head of the PTA’s Special Interests Group where chairmen of each au-thority get together bimonthly.
Free passes for children who live three miles or more from their school were first introduced following the post war Education Act.
