School coach fares to double next term

COACH fares for pupils are set to double as the new school term begin.

The fare for boarding Courtesy Coaches in Oldham is currently £1 per single trip for any length of journey.

From September, children will have to pay £2 to make the same journey. The company will offer a £560 bus pass which would bring a return fare to below £3.

Children who travel from Delph to Crompton House School would otherwise have to catch a bus into Oldham and then get a bus into Shaw, if they can’t rely on a lift or go on the coach.

A father-of-one, who did not wish to be named said: “It is a lot to increase your prices by 100 per cent.

“I’ve only got one child but some parents have three or four children. That’s a lot of money.

“People who live in Delph don’t have much of a choice — they have to use these coaches.”

A mother with two daughters at the school, said: “I can easily find a couple of quid each day but I don’t have the £560 to fork out for both my girls at the beginning of term — I couldn’t even pay that much in instalments.”

Courtesy Coaches Ltd, which has been operating school buses and coaches for over 40 years, said the fare increases were due to increases in fuel and insurance costs.

A spokeswoman said: “The fare increase is not one that Courtesy Coaches Ltd incorporating Yelloway Motor Services Ltd has taken lightly.”