Bishop’s Stortford councillor Graham McAndrew gets on board to tackle students’ bus fare discrepancies

A Bishop’s Stortford councillor wants families’ help to investigate reports of inconsistent bus ticket pricing for schoolchildren.

Conservative Graham McAndrew is an East Herts district council member for Thorley Manor and represents the Bishop’s Stortford Rural division at Herts County Council.

He said: “As parents, we all want the best for our children, especially when it comes to their safety and wellbeing. But what happens when the systems meant to support them – like school bus services – start causing unnecessary stress and financial strain?

“Recently, I’ve been made aware of concerning inconsistencies in the bus fares charged to students travelling to and from schools in Bishop’s Stortford.

“One parent shared that their daughter, despite using her Student SaverCard for the same journey, has been charged varying amounts – ranging from £1.90 to £2.70 for a single trip.

“This inconsistency is not only confusing but also unfair, especially when families are already facing financial pressures.

“To make matters worse, the Student SaverCard, which costs £20, promises discounted rates. However, a mere 30p reduction on an adult single fare hardly seems like the ‘much better discounted rate’ we were led to expect. In some cases, parents have even noted that a taxi might be cheaper than a return bus journey!”

Cllr McAndrew said that the issues raised serious questions about why students were charged different fares for the same journey and if the Student SaverCard was delivering promised discounts. He wanted to gauge the scale of the problem with feedback from families.

“I would like to reach out to the school community to gather more examples of overcharging or inconsistent fares,” he said.

“If your child has faced similar problems, please share your experiences with me. Together we can build a clearer picture of what’s happening and hold the relevant parties accountable.”

The latest advice from Hertfordshire County Council is that the Government’s £3 bus fare cap applied to single journeys makes some ticket discount schemes look less appealing.

“For example, if a student is paying only £2.70 for their bus fare using a Hertfordshire SaverCard that gives 50% off travel, then the fare before the cap was imposed would have been £5.40.

“Therefore, under the present circumstances, a Hertfordshire SaverCard gives a 50% discount based on the uncapped fare. This is a point that is often misunderstood.”

With a Hertfordshire SaverCard, an Intalink Connect fare costs from £2.50 a day. The ticket can be used multiple times in a day, making it cheaper and more flexible than two single fares or a return.

Email graham.mcandrew@hertfordshire.gov.uk.