Wellesbourne mum says she’s charged ‘£450 for my daughter to walk to a bus stop’
A CAMPAIGNING mum is making a stand over bus pass rules that mean she is being told to pay a higher rate because her home is just over three miles from Moreton Morrell College – though by the time her daughter has walked to the nearest bus stop, she is less than three miles away.
Katy Field lives in Wellesbourne and when she applied online earlier in the summer for the pass, she measured the distance from the nearest bus stop, found it was 2.7 miles from there to the college and paid the appropriate fee of £450.
She heard nothing, chased it up with Warwickshire County Council just before term started and the council sent the pass out to her.
But she was then told the pass shouldn’t have been issued because their home address was over the three-mile point, where the fee is doubled – meaning they wanted an extra £450 from her.
Katy said she had been told it was a grey area and hopes common sense will prevail.
Her daughter previously went to Kineton High School and as their nearest school, there was no charge for transport.
But the rules change in post-16 education where support becomes discretionary and it is up to local authorities to set the rules.
Katy added: “They have to stay in education so everyone has to go somewhere.
“I go to work but £900 is a lot of money.
“It’s another £450 to walk to a bus stop and I’m not paying it.
“I don’t have a problem with paying and I’d pay £900 if there was a bus stop outside my house – but she’s not travelling three miles on a bus. If it was fair, I’d pay – but it’s not fair.
“I’d like to see a change in the rules for everyone in Wellesbourne who travels to Moreton Morrell.”
She said she has contacted the council in various ways but there’s been no engagement – just emails demanding payment or her daughter’s bus pass will be made invalid.
The Herald put her case to the county council and a spokesperson said on Tuesday: “We always listen to feedback and try to act in a fair way. We’re currently reviewing this decision and will be contacting the family directly to explore options.”
