Norfolk council webchat suggests home-schooling after school bus fare surge

A mother in Norfolk was told by her local council's online chat service that she could consider home-schooling her daughter after raising concerns about a steep increase in school bus fares. Caroline Ashley, a single parent from Castle Acre, said she was shocked by the suggestion and initially assumed it had come from an automated system, but Norfolk County Council confirmed a human adviser had given the response and issued an apology.

The fare for her 13-year-old daughter Ellie's roughly ten-minute trip to Litcham School rose from £2 for a single ticket to £5, with a return now costing £8. Paying for a daily return across an average 190-day school year would total around £1,520.

Central Connect, the operator that took over the route this year after acquiring local firm Konectbus, said it inherited outdated fare structures on routes including Castle Acre to Litcham that were running at a loss, and pointed to rising fuel and wage costs as additional factors. The government's £3 cap on single bus fares does not apply to dedicated school transport services.

Other local parents said the higher fares have forced them to adjust work schedules or budgets, and complained they received no advance warning of the change. Some said more families are now driving children to school instead, adding to traffic congestion in the area. Litcham School's headteacher, Ben Phillips, said parents' concerns were justified and called on the bus operator to review the fare increase and consider support for disadvantaged pupils. Similar complaints in Essex have already prompted a review of another affected route.