Council’s new transport rules force children to carry heavy bags on hour-long journeys

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A parent in Rhondda Cynon Taf has sharply criticised the council’s decision to tighten the eligibility for free school transport, warning that children will face much longer and potentially hazardous walks to school starting this September. Sarah Miles, who lives in Trehafod and has two children in mainstream education, explained that her daughter, who attends Porth Community School, will no longer qualify for a bus pass due to the family living just under three miles from the school, following changes approved by the council.
Under the new policy, only secondary and post-16 students living three miles or more from their school will receive free transport, while the 1.5-mile eligibility for primary pupils remains unchanged. Sarah said both walking routes to her child’s school take just under an hour for an adult and is concerned about their safety. She said: “We were made aware in recent years that there were plans to review the transport policy for secondary schools and were given an opportunity to engage in the consultation process, of which we did – highlighting some major parental concerns in respect of pupil safety, however to no avail.”
Sarah added: “There is no option to purchase a seat on the school bus either – they have removed school transport within Trehafod in its entirety. There is also no option to appeal the decision.” She said a school walking route assessment was carried out but claims the report raised more questions than answers. She called the decisions “ridiculous” and “unjust” and said children’s voices have not been listened to.
She said repeated visits were made to various sites on route to monitor traffic, claiming: “I can only presume that repeated visits enabled the data collectors to manipulate the data to fit their criteria.” Sarah said one of the site visits was carried out on a Saturday and statistics were only collected over a four-month period from September to January, which she says is not a true reflection of the academic year. She also said the footway is closed along the A4058 (Britannia) due to wall repairs with no sign of completion, meaning children are expected to walk an alternative temporary route along a railway track.
Sarah said: “My first concern is how long would this temporary route be in place for, until it is classed as a permanent change? I have seen no sign of any action in terms of repairing the retaining wall since it was first out of use approximately two years ago.” Regarding the “temporary” route along the railway track and river, she said this is “absolutely ludicrous”. “Our daughter is not allowed along that route in her recreational time, as I do not feel it is safe at all for a child,” Sarah said.
“It is remote, isolated and does not have any lighting or CCTV footage. Children would be expected to walk through an underpass below the A4058, with low railings next to a fast flowing river. Both routes above encompass a considerable elevation and whilst this may not be an issue returning home, the children will be expected to overcome this on their journey to school (not taking into account weather conditions, heavy bags etc).”
Sarah also said both routes are 2.1 and 2.4 miles respectively, and can take up to 56 minutes to walk for an adult, with children also having to carry their belongings. “School starts at 8.40am, meaning that children would have to leave the house around 7.30am at the latest and in the winter months it will still be dark,” she said. “With no lighting along the temporary route alongside the railway track/river, this is unsafe.”