Your coverage of the recent fare increases for some school transport draws attention to some parents' understandable concerns.
I should like to take the opportunity to make (and in some cases reinforce) a few important contextual points.
Last spring, all those parents whose children were currently using the concessionary service were consulted and informed about the increase proposals.
Parents new to the scheme were told of the charges in September when they were sent application forms.
The vast majority of our school pupils do not use school transport. Of the 16,300 pupils who do, just 2,300 are charged.
The recent fare changes follow many years of increasingly unsustainable levels of subsidy by council taxpayers.
Following these changes, the level of subsidy is still very high and the fares charged represent very good value to parents, being considerably less than the commercial value of those seats.
Comparisons with other authorities may not be easy, as you point out, but they can be made.
Oxfordshire's charging policy compares very favourably with our geographical neighbours (among others), as is illustrated by the figures you quoted.
Oxfordshire needs to balance the overall interests of all council taxpayers with those of the families for whom a charge has to be made.
Michael Waine (Councillor)
Cabinet Member for School Improvement
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