Bid to reduce council's £45m school transport bill

Plans are under way to reduce a county council's £45m annual school transport bill in the face of growing demand.

Cambridgeshire County Council said about £3,600 per child was being spent on support to get them to school or another place of education.

The authority has a legal duty to provide home-to-school transport for eligible children.

A report being presented to its Children and Young People Committee on Tuesday said: "Demand has increased significantly in recent years, creating a financial pressure on the council's budget."

There are different eligibility criteria for free school transport, which include a child's age, their distance from school, mobility problems and family finances.

Support can include dedicated bus routes, bus tickets, taxis or mileage payments for parents.

The council said about 85% of the £45m spend was on contracted bus services where no suitable public transport was available.

Meanwhile, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) introduced £1 Tiger Pass bus fares for under-25s in 2024 and has expanded its Tiger On Demand service in rural areas.

The on-demand minibuses, allow passengers to book journeys between virtual bus stops rather than using fixed routes and timetables and operate separately from the county council's legal transport duties.

However, the council said it wanted to explore whether the service could be used in some cases instead of taxis, subject to suitability, safeguarding, reliability, availability and cost.

The report said two taxi routes had already been transferred to Tiger On Demand, reducing costs by 44%.

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