20 hours ago
Change in school bus policy leaves incoming students in the lurch
Ceredigion County Council has changed its policy regarding free school bus travel, allowing students to only use the service to their nearest secondary school.
However, parents were unaware of this change until their school bus applications were rejected this spring, leaving parents 'blindsided'.
Families have also claimed the changes have been applied retrospectively, removing children who are already attending secondary school from their regular bus service ( Let Us Travel )
Hannah Bowd from Penrhiwllan said her family were encouraged by the local authority to explore options and choose a secondary school that was right for their son.
Their school bus travel application was rejected as it wasn't to Ysgol Bro Teifi , 2.5 miles away, despite the bus travelling to Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn directly past their driveway.
Hannah, a mum of two, said: 'I've just gone back to work - I don't know how I'll get two children to two different schools and get to work on time.
'No one was aware of the change in bus services, so we weren't able to factor that into our decision-making.
'If we gave him a lift every day, we'd be following the bus, so it seems environmentally better to give him a place on the bus.
Hannah describes other families in the area in similar positions, in which younger children have been refused the bus service their older siblings use daily.
Due to additional learning needs, her son's school recommended a Welsh-English school like Emlyn, as opposed to Welsh-only Bro Teifi: 'The council seems to be deciding what's a suitable school without taking this into consideration.'
