A petition calling for free train transport for school pupils with Arriva Trains Wales has been handed to the National Assembly’s Petitions Committee at the Senedd.
The petition was started by Elin Tuckwood who is a year 12 pupil at Treorchy Comprehensive School in Rhondda Cynon Taff.
The petition states:
“Here in the UK we are entitled to free education so surely we should be allowed free, safe transport to and from school?
“The answer to this is yes! For many years Arriva trains Wales have been providing Treorchy Comprehensive pupils with free train transport, which is a huge benefit to those who live outside the catchment areas.
“However recently this has changed and they have now called for all pupils to buy a train pass to get to and from school and these prices range from £19.95 to £32.90 per school term.
“For some parents with more than one child this can work out to be very costly and, because these passes are provided through Arriva Trains Wales, the school is unable to help parents with this funding.
“Arriva trains have stated that this is for safety precautions however children who have these designated train passes are in front of a ‘protective’ metal barrier closer to the platform edge and the children that do not have these passes are in this small enclosed barrier space, which actually causes more of a safety hazard due to overcrowding in such a small space.
“By being allowed free train transport once again every pupil will be able to have a fair chance to gain an education and will be able to go on to what they want to do in life. We will all be treated as equal and money will not be a major concern for anyone.”
The petition was received by the Chair of the Petitions Committee, Mike Hedges AM.