North Lanarkshire school bus cuts to be debated at Scottish Parliament

Pupils in North Lanarkshire have told Clyde 1 News they are scared to begin walking to school because of busy roads and narrow paths - as concerns grow that cuts to bus provision will be extended to younger age groups.

North Lanarkshire Council is trying to save £3.6 million per year by changing free school transport cut offs, as part of a wider package of measures to save £62million over the next three years.

It was agreed at the budget meeting for 2023-2024 that the existing qualifying mileage limits for free mainstream school transport would be moved for secondary school pupils.

This means that only children living more than three miles away will be able to catch a school bus, compared two miles previously.

Similar proposals, changing the limits from one mile to two, are set to come into force for primary schools in August 2025.

Since August 2022 the council has been led by a Labour minority administration.

Concerned parents have campaigned against this change for the last 18 months, arguing that the walking routes identified for children and unsuitable due to busy roads, poor lighting and poor crossing points.

Similarly, campaigners argue that children who attend faith schools will be disproportionately.

'I will feel exhausted'

A group of parents and pupils at Cathedral Primary School in Motherwell tested out the route which could become their daily commute.

10-year-old Ella Carlin said: "There are tons of busy roads, and there are tons of cars everywhere. There are also lots of really thin paths.

"If we have to do this everyday, I will feel exhausted and tired.

"We're going to have to walk all this distance and I don't think it's right for children to walk for that long, in the rain, in the dark and in the cold.

"Tons of things could happen, you could get knocked over because there are lots of cars.

"If North Lanarkshire Council does cut the buses, I think there will be an accident because it doesn't feel safe."

9-year-old Orla McIntyre added: "I don't think we could do this every morning, we would get exhausted and then we have six hours of school.

"When there are cars parked on the pavement it's really, really hard to cross the road.

"You can't see either end and a car could just come flying out and hit you."

Mum and campaigner, Kerry Anne Ferrie said: "We've seen cars speeding, some uncontrolled driving, very short periods of time to get kids across the road with pedestrian crossings and broken glass on the footpaths.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable letting my son walk that, and he definitely can't walk it alone.

"I don't have two hours a day to walk with him there and back, so I'm going to be another car on the road.

"It's too difficult to get there and back and start your job at 9 o'clock - so what will parents do if they don't have a car?"

Scottish Parliament debate

Green MSP Gillian Mackay will lead a debate in the Scottish Parliament this lunchtime, calling for the Scottish Government to "engage with North Lanarkshire Council to urgently resolve this issue."

She told Clyde 1 News: "It's a 30mph speed limit here, but I'm not confident everyone follows that.

"Especially big articulated lorries coming past here, when you're only 5 or 6 years old, that's a big vehicle coming past you.

"We've had several crossings where the crossings only last 14 seconds, we've not got the biggest number of kids with us this morning, but it's still a struggle trying to get them all across the busy road in that amount of time.

"I don't think it's a route that you'd want small kids to be walking in the dark and certainly, I don't think it's one that they themselves want to be walking in the dark."

North Lanarkshire Council response

North Lanarkshire Council has said it is currently assessing all the primary school routes and it will let parents, carers and pupils know the outcome of this in the new year.

A working group is also being set up to review and update the criteria used in assessing school transport provision - but the council stressed parents have a legal duty to ensure their child gets to school safely.

A spokesperson said: "At the budget meeting (2023-24), the council agreed to change the existing qualifying mileage limits for free mainstream school transport to save £3.6million against a backdrop of having to save £62million over the next three years.

"We are now applying the statutory criteria for home-to-school transport for secondary pupils and, from August next year, for the primary sector, to bring the council in line with 27 of the 32 of local authorities in Scotland that already operate using this criteria."

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