Infrastructure Minister defends reduced-fare school bus time adjustment

The infrastructure minister has defended a decision to shorten by one hour the period during which Isle of Man students can use buses at a reduced fare. As of Monday, Bus Vannin’s pre-paid Go School smart travel cards, which enable journeys for 50p, are now valid until 17:00 GMT, a change from the previous 18:00 GMT cut-off. Tim Crookall stated that the service’s purpose is for transportation between educational institutions and residences, but observed that the majority of trips taken after 17:00 “were not from school pick up points”. However, certain Members of the House of Keys (MHKs) expressed worries that the alteration, which affects students who pay half the standard fare for tickets, was “undermining” after-school extra-curricular activities. Michelle Haywood MHK informed the House of Keys that the modification “just doesn’t work” for students, citing its incompatibility with after-school sports, including 90-minute football matches. Joney Faragher MHK questioned whether the initiative was “just a way to make money from working families via school kids”. She further proposed that this adjustment was inconsistent with objectives to boost public transport usage, which aims to aid the transition to net-zero. In reply, Mr. Crookall asserted that the updated scheme was not “a money maker” but rather an effort to restore the service to its original purpose: to assist students “to get from home to school and back again”. He reported that out of approximately 1,000 student journeys made with the card between 17:00 and 18:00 since the beginning of the September term, the department determined that most students were not boarding at “school-related stops”. Mr. Crookall informed the politicians that the department aimed to ensure “best use” of the services. He stated, “If too many are people riding the bus during peak hours, we have to put on extra services and that’s not very green.” Nevertheless, he acknowledged that young people participate in after-school activities, and consequently, some students were permitted to use the service under the previous conditions on Monday. He further added that the department intends to continue reviewing the situation and collaborating with schools.