West Kirby and Caldy Parents win bus battle

Jun 4 2008 by Matt Hurst, Hoylake and West Kirby News

PARENTS of children at West Kirby and Calday Grange Grammar Schools are celebrating after Merseytravel agreed to subsidise the “F” buses, dropping fares substantially.

Protests, “go-slows” and people power appear to have delivered pupils from facing a 60pc hike in fees from £305 to £506 to take the bus to school.

The row erupted after Wirral Council announced in July it could no longer afford to contribute towards the cost of the service, and parents subsequently received letters informing them they would have to make up the difference.

But this week, the council and Merseytravel bashed out a deal that will see children paying just 50p per trip, or have the option to use a SOLO travelcard.

Clllr Mark Dowd, chairman of Merseytravel, said: “It is important we bring these buses into our countrywide school bus network and create a level playing field across the region.

“School children using the F series of buses should be paying the same as every other Wirral school child using their tickets on other buses that we subsidise.

“There is a lack of commercial bus routes for children from these two schools, so it was important that something was done to support them as best we can.”

The council had withdrawn around £60,000 of funding, leading parents to brand the move “appalling” and the price hike “absolutely extortionate”.

Conservative leader, Cllr Jeff Green, whose daughter attends West Kirby Grammar School, called it “just another council tax”.

But deputy leader of the council, Cllr Phil Davies, said at the time a review was possible if there was a indication “lots more people would be prepared to use them”.

Parents also organised a “go-slow” along the A540 from Heswall to West Kirby, in protest at the move.

Cllr Dowd added: “We hope parents and children will be the beneficiaries of this deal and this goes some way to helping reduce costs for school bus travel.”