From the 24 Feb 2020 school buses to Prince Henry’s Grammar School, Otley will no longer be run by the West Yorkshire (WY) Combined Authority, putting them outside the WY Concessionary Travel Scheme - with current Mcard products, which have been subsided by the Combined Authority no longer being accepted.

Two new operators will be running the buses and will have new higher fares including:

Weekly £12 up from £10.30
Monthly £50 up from £37.80

The monthly ticket represents an increase of over 30%. 

These new higher fares will put additional unnecessary financial strain on local families - especially those with siblings.

These new fares aren’t applicable outside school hours either, so if children are participating in extra curricular activities then they will have to buy additional tickets too. 

As well as the financial implications this change  impacts on children participating in additional activities, which helps the school, children and communities thrive. After school clubs and sports help children to become rounded citizens both at school and in the wider community.

It will also result in more cars being used to transport children to school as it maybe more cost effective option for parents - impacting on the environment and an already struggling local road network. So the wider community and the environment we live in will be affected by the changes too. 

We need to save the concessionary fares.