11 hours ago
Extra school bus service launched in Surrey after parent petition
A cancelled school bus has been replaced by an extra trial service after parents put pressure on Surrey County Council (SCC). SCC advised children to "bring torches" to walk to school after announcing plans to axe a free school bus taking children from Molesey to Esher High School from September, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).But parents started a petition to put on an extra 814 service to accommodate the children with part of the £12bn transport funding granted to SCC by the council said it had worked with Falcon buses on the issues raised by parents, and had agreed on an extra trial service at no cost to the council.
'A win for children'
The extra bus will run for the first half-term of the 2025/26 academic year, according to the council. After that, demand will be analysed to see if the service will continue, says SCC. Matt Furniss, cabinet member for highways, transport and economic growth at Surrey County Council, said: "We're very aware of the challenges raised by parents and carers and have worked with Falcon to address these."As with all bus services, we need to ensure they are used to make them viable, so I encourage parents and carers to take up this new provision. "This additional bus is being provided by Falcon at no cost to Surrey County Council."
The LDRS has previously reported that it understood cutting the bus route from September would save about £180,000 per year.
Esher and Walton MP Monica Harding previously wrote to SCC council leader Tim Oliver about concerns over the walking route and said it was a shame families had to wait so long for the council to make a decision. She said: "This is a win for school children in Esher who were facing walks of up to three miles across unlit heathland with concerns about safety, after Surrey County Council decided to withdraw the Esher High School bus service.""I'm glad that this time local families have been heard. We now need to know that this much-needed bus provision will be sustained over the longer term."
