Students are back on the buses as school routes are saved

THOUSANDS of students whose school bus ride was under threat when a bus company closed down have been arranged new school bus providers or alternative travel options.

BrightBus, which runs services to nine Rotherham schools and 32 in South Yorkshire closes for good today after owner Mick Strafford (pictured) announced he was calling it a day after nearly 20 years.

But South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) said it had teamed up with the county’s four local authorities to fund the 78 routes previously at risk.

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Emergency funding worth £225,699 will cover the next school year and work is underway to fund the following years, SYPTE said.

The transport body said some services in the new timetable were not dedicated school services, meaning some pupils will have to use public buses, many of which will be double-deckers to ensure there is enough capacity.

Mr Strafford, whose fleet served more than 12,000 pupils a day, said: “SYPTE have done a good job of co-ordinating a considerable level of cover for services from September and I am pleased all schools will have travel options in place. 

“School service funding is a countrywide problem, not just in South Yorkshire, and I think in the future we will see more and more schools having to contribute to the cost of this – something we had begun to work on.”

To see the revised bus timetable, visit travelsouthyorkshire.com/brightbus.

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