Pupils left stranded in row over new school transport rule

Hundreds of applications for school bus passes in Suffolk still need processing just days before the start of term. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Hundreds of children in Suffolk are facing an anxious wait, still not knowing if they'll get free transport for the new school term starting at the beginning of September.

There has been a change in policy by Suffolk County Council.

Some children have been told they will no longer get a bus pass, others are in limbo as their applications still haven't been dealt with.

  • Click to watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Russell Hookey

Casey Hague from Great Waldingfield near Sudbury is all set for senior school. She has a new uniform and a new bag.

What she doesn't have yet though is any means of getting there since Suffolk county council changed its student transport policy

Casey Hague from Great Waldingfield has her new uniform and a new bag but no way of getting to school. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Nearly 500 applications for bus places still haven't been reviewed.

Suffolk County Council say they're processing as many as they can before term starts but critics think the process has been chaotic and the policy-change is flawed.

The council told ITV News Anglia the majority of families should now have been notified but it does acknowledge some applications are still outstanding as some families waited until after the May deadline to send them in.