Published: Thursday, 28th August, 2008 09:00
Fare’s fare on new bus services for two schools
By Alex Gore
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A NEW school bus service will be launched next Monday, but increased fares mean it will cost pupils £10 a week.
Pupils at Theale Green and Little Heath schools will be able to use the new service after Reading Buses were prompted into action by disgruntled teachers and parents who believed there was a lack of school buses last term.
Reading Buses has since held a thorough review and has decided to charge pupils £10 a week for the service, a slight increase on the previous £34 a month.
Chief executive James Freeman said: “The services were costing us money to operate and West Berkshire Council indicated they could not subsidise the routes.
“The fares for 2008-09 have been pitched at a sensible level that will hopefully allow us to cover the costs of operation.”
Pupils will have to order a seven-day bus pass which, for children over the age of 14, will have to be accompanied by a READI-id card. Reading Buses recommend that those aged between 11-13 also carry a READI-id card, which are free to anyone up to the age of 16. Without a card the bus pass will cost £5.
The pass not only entitles the bearer to use the school bus, but also gives them free travel across the rest of the Reading Buses network.
READI-id card holders under the age of 16 can also buy a single ticket for £1.30 or a return for £2.50.
Services are being prefixed with ‘s’ to differentiate them from the rest of the bus network. They will run from Ford’s Farm, Calcot, and Southcote Road to Little Heath while buses to Theale Green will run from Oxford Road, Pangbourne, Purley and the town centre.
Each school bus will also be allocated a single driver and as far as possible the driver would be regular on the journey for the whole term.
For more information, including a full timetable, visit www.reading-buses.co.uk, email customerservices@reading-buses.co.uk or call 0118 959 4000.
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