Lancashire County Council responds to angry Buckshaw parents over school bus concerns

Marika Botham, 42, who lives in Holland House Way, has started a petition calling on the council to review the school transport and put on a bigger bus, after her 11-year-old daughter Sienna, due to start St Michael's High School in Chorley next month, has no way of getting after being rejected for a bus pass season ticket.

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said: "Lancashire County Council provides school services for students who are entitled to transport assistance, as set out in our Home to Mainstream School Transport Policy."An assessment is undertaken for all the pupils when they transfer to high school and the preferences expressed by the parent on the secondary school application to determine eligibility."There are additional provisions for pupils whose families meet the low-income criteria."Although the county council is not obliged to make any transport provision for those students that are not entitled to free home to school transport, where a Lancashire County Council service does exist, they may purchase a season ticket to access the service, providing there is room. Season tickets are issued on a 'first-come, first served' basis and there is no bias applied to the age of the applicant or whether a sibling is already travelling."