Taxi Driver Online

Northumberland axes over-16s free school transport



A council has voted to axe free transport for pupils over 16 in Northumberland in a bid to save £2.4m.

More than 100 parents gathered outside the county council's offices in Morpeth to protest over the plans.

But after a four hour meeting the Labour-run council voted in favour of the change.

Those against the move said some families in the rural county would not be able to send children to the school or college of their choice.

The council said many pupils were being driven to school in taxis, costing it more than £900 per week.

'Difficult times'
Children with special needs or from low income families who attend their nearest school or college will still get free travel, it said.

The council - which needs to make savings of £65m over the next two years - said it was one of the few county councils nationwide to provide free transport for 16-to-19-year-old students, but could no longer afford it.

Council Leader Grant Davey said: "When this scheme was introduced there were around 800 students who needed support. That grew to nearly 4,000.

"In difficult times, we need to be focusing our resources on those who are in greatest need, not supporting taxi rides to school, where there are other forms of transport."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-28269398

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

So they should, I never got free school transport when I was at school.

Ah but these days all public transport should be free.

I will never forget, many years ago, a job use to go out on social services account for a chap to be carried about a mile to see he child in hospital.

I asked him once if he wouldn't go if he had to use the bus.

Never got the job again.

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IDFIMH

The Parents of today think it's their given right to get such things, an entitlement that many of them have done nothing to merit and even less to help pay for it.

They just can't see it's a privilege and not a god given right, many tax payers and community charge payers have to dig deep to pay for such transport, many of whom have no kids at all.

Yet it's odd though that the Government actively pays 16yo+ School kids £30 a week to stay at school whilst the LA's actively deny them the transport to get them there...Just another small example of the non joined up thinking that is feching this country right up..

Why?

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

See the posts above. People think it's a god-given right. It's public, it's transport, it should be free.

In a similar vein, we have a decent booking to arrival time of under 5 minutes. However, for some reason, the last few weeks have been extremely busy and the wait times have increased to around ten minutes midweek up to half an hour Sat nights.

Oh the complaints ! People phoning after 5 minutes ranting about being kept waiting and demanding to know where their cab is, how our firm is useless and they'll never use us again (forgetting that the other firms have an even longer wait time), and the bile that's spouted on our Fbook/twit accounts.

I like it when I get a job I took out back from the pub who complain they've been waiting 'ages' (which when I check with the office is only 5-6 minutes) and I tell them it's less than the 10 minutes I sat outside their house waiting for them to come out !

Not no more.

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IDFIMH

Round here a few years ago they scrapped free transport for a local school, the parents were up in arms about it. The charge was going to be £2 per day, £1 there and £1 back. They were kicking up a storm saying the usual, "our kids should get free school transport to and from school." The County Council turned round and basically shut them up by saying, "go out and buy and run a car for £10 per week".

Agreed it was seriously considered in London, bet you didnt know that

All ~Tube Buses free to all passengers plus Railways within the M25............cheaper to the Tax Payer and great for tourism ................and of course the population of London ......................of course all my transport is free anywhere within the M25 ..........................good old Ken Livingstone

School children in london ride free on all buses and the Tube .......................not sure about Railways.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!