‘My son walks two miles from school despite neighbour qualifying for bus pass’

A mum claims her son has to walk two miles back home from school every day despite his neighbour qualifying for a bus pass.

Hudson Griffiths, 11, hoped to catch the coach with his mates, however he was bitterly disappointed when he was refused a free pass, Wales Online reports.

The Rhondda Cynon Taf council, in Wales, said the pupil was not eligible for the bus because he lived outside the St John the Baptist School catchment zone. 

In the morning, the youngster has to catch a lift with his parents Kiri and Damian Griffiths – who drop him into school on their way to work.

But the school bell has rung for the end of the day, mum Kiri said her son has no choice but to walk the 2.1 mile journey home on foot.

“We have to drive past the bus stop every morning, and all his friends who live in the same street are there,” said Kiri, 31.

“It is his first year in secondary school, and we just assumed he would get a pass because our neighbours have one.

“We found out he wasn’t getting one at the end of July, so we appealed that but we were told that they can’t do anything as he can walk the new route they have decided on.

“He is 11-years-old, I don’t think he should be walking along two miles along a route that I think it dangerous, especially during the winter months.”

After attempting to appeal the decision, Kiri tried to apply for a paid place on the bus – but was told it was too late and there was no room for Hudson.

However she claims the bus regularly has spaces left on it when they drive past there in the morning.

A spokeswoman for Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it was inevitable that some pupils will fall just outside the two-mile entitlement, but they stressed the council is more generous than the three-mile statutory guidance set by Welsh Government. 

Kiri and her husband Damian, 35, have two other kids, aged five and nine.

They both work full time hours between 9am and 5pm, which means they can’t pick Hudson up from school.

Kiri said: “It would probably take him around 50 minutes to an hour to walk the two miles every morning, he would be tired before he even got to school.

“It isn’t so bad in the morning as we can take him there, but in the evenings, especially as the days get darker, I don’t want him walking home.

“He is only 11, and he is a little nervous about walking home. The path is secluded and also crosses over a busy road. I think it is dangerous to ask a child to walk that far by themselves.”

Kiri is worried that something could happen to her son, especially since the death of a teenager in the area this summer.

She believes that the decision to grant children a free bus pass should not just be based on the distance, but also the age of a child.

A spokeswoman for Rhondda Cynon Taf said: “Free school transport is given to pupils living more than two miles from their nearest or catchment school  a generous provision in comparison to Welsh Government’s statutory provision for this age group, which stands at three miles.

“The council uses consistent criteria to determine eligibility, measured by the shortest safe walking distance – while additional factors are also considered such as whether it is safe for the pupil to walk along or accompanied by an appropriate adult.

“The pupil from Abernant has been assessed as living 1.972 miles from the catchment faith school and is therefore not eligible for school transport.

“The walking route from Abernant to St John Baptist Church in Wales High School is long established and in daily use, in accordance with the Learler Travel (Wales) Measure 2008.

“Inevitably, there are some pupils who fall just outside the two-mile entitlement limit, but the council must be consistent in its provision for all pupils.

“The council calculates route measurements using Government-standard Ordnance Survey data, accurate to 1m and generally accepted as the most accurate available.

“The use of alternative methods of measurement for different children from various addresses would not be appropriate, as it would be less accurate and create inequality between families.

“Parents are offered the possibility of purchasing spare seats on our school transport, but it is a discretionary provision subject to seat availability.”