Using Bus Service Improvement Plan funding provided by HM Government, the council is holding the cost of all passes at 2022/23 rates and is also working with bus operators to protect bus services at risk of withdrawal.
The KCC Travel Saver allows children travelling to school on buses to share the fare with the county council, helping households to make a significant saving on the cost of their journey to and from the classroom.
Prices for renewed and new passes will be frozen this year at £450 for the standard pass and £120 for low-income households. The cost of the 16+ Travel Saver pass will also remain at £500.
Funding from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Bus Back Better fund has allowed KCC to keep the price of the pass as accessible as possible, in light of the considerable financial pressures the council faces.
Customers need to apply for passes by 13th August to be sure of getting their pass at the start of term. This year all applications will be made using a new and improved application system which means all customers will need to apply as new and therefore upload a new photo of their child.
“I am really pleased that we have been able to work with the Department for Transport to use some of our Bus Service Improvement Plan funding to allow this price freeze to the KCC Travel Saver.”
KCC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, David Brazier, said: “I am really pleased that we have been able to work with the Department for Transport to use some of our Bus Service Improvement Plan funding to allow this price freeze to the KCC Travel Saver.
“This scheme represents excellent value for money for many young people who catch the bus to school and being able make it as accessible as possible is important to all Members of this council.
“To realise our priority as an organisation to leave our environment in a better condition than that in which we found it, we must incentivise more environmentally friendly methods of travel.”
Roads Minister, Richard Holden, said: “People up and down the country deserve a modern, reliable, and affordable public transport system. That is why we have allocated more than £35 million to Kent County Council to invest in its bus services.
“Supporting Kent County Council in freezing the cost of the Student Travel Saver Bus is great for local students get to school easily while helping families save on their children’s travel costs as we leave no stone unturned in supporting households deal with the rising cost of living.”
Parents can apply for a KCC Travel Saver via https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-transport/KCC-travel-saver by 13th August to get your pass before the start of term.
The cost of freezing the KCC Travel Saver is £2.5 million.
ENDS
