East Ayrshire Council ends subsidised school transport

East Ayrshire Council (EAC) made the decision at cabinet this week, in a move that will aim to save the local authority in the region of £600,000, based on current costs.

Subsidised school transport was introduced in 2012 and was intended to make use of a small number of unused seats on transport that was commissioned for the statutory service.

The decision was made at East Ayrshire Council cabinet (Image: East Ayrshire Council) The scheme allowed pupils who don’t qualify for free transport access to discounted fares.

Following a decision taken by cabinet, it will be removed from June 2025.

East Ayrshire is the only one of Scotland’s 32 local authorities still to provide subsidised fares for pupils who don’t meet the free transport criteria.

The council said that the service is now no longer sustainable.

EAC 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 review involved secondary pupils who currently use non-statutory subsidised school transport using active travel routes or public bus services to get to and from school instead.

The scheme was introduced in 2012 (Image: NQ Archive) 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.

Council bosses say that analysis of the pilot exercise showed that public bus services had been well used and that any issues that had arisen during the three weeks were identified and dealt with swiftly.

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.

The junction between the A70 and Glenmuir Road was highlighted as a concern for parents (Image: Street view) A report to council cabinet stated: "Logan and Lugar parents expressed concerns about the frequency and timing of school transport services for their children.

"Concerns were also made about the active travel route and the high volume of HGV traffic on the route."

EAC says it will still be meeting its statutory responsibilities to provide transport for pupils who live a certain distance from school.

Councillor Jim McMahon, cabinet spokesperson for housing, transport and communities, said: “We have come to this difficult decision based on a lot of research, consultation, and the outcomes of the pilot exercise.

"In removing the non-statutory subsidised school transport service from next year, we will still be acting fully in accordance with the relevant statutory duty to make provision for transport to support pupils attending school.

"Operating in an extremely challenging financial climate means that it’s simply unsustainable for the council to continue providing this non-statutory service with the high costs that are involved."

Councillor Jim McMahon (Image: East Ayrshire Council) Cllr McMahon added: “But where there are challenges, there are also opportunities. Collaborating with the Infinity Loop project will significantly improve active travel routes to secondary schools, while reducing school transport usage and the development of active travel will also support our climate change strategy.

“I thank all of the pupils, parents and teachers who have taken part in any consultation work or the pilot exercise. Their feedback has been invaluable in helping us come to this decision, and we will continue to welcome feedback on the new arrangements when they begin next June.”