PLANS are set to move ahead in East Ayrshire which will see a permanent end to subsidised school transport following a trial period earlier this year.
The move is hoped to save the council an expenditure of around £600,000 a year at current costs.
East Ayrshire Council ran a test on the plans between May and June this year, and it meant pupils who received supported transport had to find other ways to travel to school.
The service provides transports to and from school for pupils, for an annual fee.
East Ayrshire is the only one of Scotland’s 32 local authorities to provide subsidised fares for pupils who don’t meet the free transport criteria.
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National guidance on the minimum distance that pupils should live from school before being entitled to free school transport is two miles up to the age of eight and three miles for children aged eight and over.
However, the local authority applies the two-mile criteria to primary schools and three miles for secondary.
Councillors considered a report on removing the scheme last year, but subsequently opted to postpone a decision until more work was carried out to assess active travel and public transport links.
A report to East Ayrshire Council cabinet looked at the work carried out to ensure any possible issues were dealt with.
Although a lot of the work appears to have centred around areas of Kilmarnock, the report states that there were no issues with Stagecoach bus capacity for pupils from Auchinleck, Craigens and Netherthird routes travelling to the Robert Burns Academy.
Walking routes from Logan Lugar to the super school were also assessed, where it was identified that a signalisation of the junction at Glenmuir Road/A70 junction at Logan was needed to provide a pedestrian crossing.
"Concerns were also made about the active travel route and the high volume of HGV traffic on the route.
"Concerns were raised over the pilot's timing due to light mornings and evenings, as well as senior phase pupils taking exam leave."
According to the report, East Ayrshire Council provides non-statutory subsidised school transport for 646 Secondary pupils that live between 1.5 and three miles from their local school at a cost to parents of £267.91 per pupil, per year.
In the current financial year, the report states that the total cost of providing the non-statutory subsidised provision is estimated to be £705,000, with an annual income of around £100,000.
The report continues: "Stagecoach West Scotland have confirmed that providing additional services or resource is not commercially viable, however, Stagecoach remains open to discussions with EAC on what can be provided to enhance their existing local bus services.
"Within the protected characteristic of disability, all pupils who currently receive transport on medical or ASN grounds will continue to do so."
If approved at council cabinet next week, the subsidised school transport will be removed by April 4, 2025.
The cabinet will consider the report on Wednesday, October 9.
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