Students in Caerphilly may walk six miles daily due to school transport cuts. Older students affected. Council seeks £1.1M savings.
Right now, free transport is for those living over two miles away. This might change to three miles. Some kids could walk up to six miles round trip. The council says this meets Welsh rules.
The council says transport costs went way up. They rose from £6.4 million to £12 million since 2015. They say costs keep growing all the time. Their current policy is quite generous, they mentioned.
Fuel prices are high, and there is a driver shortage. Inflation affected everything, said a transport officer. The number of kids needing extra support also increased. These kids still get transport.
Almost a thousand people gave their opinion. They decided not to change rules for younger kids. Over 400 people said they would drive their kids more. So, more cars on the road.
The council needs a safety check for each walking path. They will pay someone £192,500 to check the routes. This should be done by July. Then, they decide on the new plan. They could save £1.1 million.