Major concerns over threat to cut Wolverhampton school bus routes
Concerns have been raised over proposals to cut three bus services in Wolverhampton that hundreds of children rely on to get to three schools in the city.
National Express West Midlands (NXWM) is looking at the possibility of cutting 15 services across the region from January – including the 714, 751 and 784, which are routes used by children travelling to Compton Park School, Smestow School and The King’s School, respectively.
Councillor Carol Hyatt, a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) transport delivery committee, said that if services are axed it could mean pupils facing journeys of one and-a-half hours instead of 30 minutes.
She said: “I am appalled that it is even being considered. We have been told that these cuts are proposed based on purely commercial decisions with no thought for the alternative routes for the children and no consequences for National Express.
“Our children need a safe, reliable route to school. The government has said that school buses are not considered to be a socially necessary service so there is no subsidy in place for school transport. It is up to National Express to do the right thing and prioritise the safety, wellbeing and education of our children.”
Councillor Adam Collinge, vice-chair of the council’s strong families, children, and young people scrutiny panel, said: “We absolutely oppose these proposals and are urging all stakeholders to work together to protect these vital school bus services.
“Any cost savings will likely be minimal compared to wider budgets, but the disruption for affected children, families and schools could be huge. Given the pressures families face, maintaining safe, affordable school transport should be a priority.
“My own ward of Oxley risks losing the service between Pendeford and The King’s School in Tettenhall. Families are rightly worried about the impacts on their children, including disrupted learning, rising costs, multiple bus journeys and safety. If the proposals go ahead families will face fewer choices for their children’s education – both now and in future years.
“Also, individual schools should not be expected to fill the gap left by what are – hopefully avoidable – cuts,” he added.
Councillor Sohail Khan said: “I was disappointed to hear about the potential cutback in the bus services to The King’s School. Many students travel to King’s from some of the most deprived areas of the city and these proposed withdrawals would disproportionately affect them.
“We strongly urge NXWM to reconsider these planned withdrawals to bus routes that will affect schoolchildren in Wolverhampton and will be working with the relevant parties to see a more positive outcome from this.”
Paula Mitchell from National Express said: “Over 95 per cent of bus passengers in Wolverhampton travel on commercial routes that are continuing as now from January 2023 – albeit some have minor timetable changes.
“There are seven services which we currently operate as tendered services subsidised by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) which are currently at risk. We’re working with TfWM to review these services and doing everything we can to continue to operate these. The review is ongoing and we will share more information as soon as we’re able to confirm exact details.”
