A SINGLE mum whose daughter will have to travel every day by train from Dalry to Saltcoats to attend school has slammed North Ayrshire Council’s school bus pass policy as ‘unfair’.

Gillian Kerr’s 12-year-old daughter Amie had to transfer from Garnock Academy to St Matthew’s last year because she was unhappy in the school and wasn’t doing well with her studies.

North Ayrshire Council provides a ‘privileged’ school bus pass for kids in Amie’s situation, but bizarrely she has to wait until 10 weeks of the school term have elapsed before the pass is issued.

Last year, mum-of-three Gillian was able to take Amie by car to school but she will start a full-time course at Kilwinning College next week.

This will leave Amie, now going into S2, having to get a train from Dalry to Saltcoats and back every day while her classmates, who are eligible to attend St Matthew’s automatically, take the bus straight to the school gates.

Gillian, 32, is worried about Amie’s safety on the 15 minute walk to the school from Saltcoats Station to St Matthew’s – as well as the expense of train fare which will cost her £10 a week.

She said: “She’s only 12, I don’t like the idea of her walking on her own.

“I think as soon as the kids are enrolled in the school, they should automatically be entitled to a bus pass.

“The school has said to me because St Matthew’s wasn’t her first choice of school she is down the pecking order to get a bus pass.

“It’s not fair that although she has to go to that school she’s got to get the train instead of the bus.” Another parent who wished to remain anonymous has been in the same position for several years and backed Gillian up.

He said: “I think once a pupil qualifies for a privileged pass one year, it should be taken for granted that they will need one the next and not have to wait 10 weeks all over again.

“It would save so much admin work. Why does it take 10 weeks to issue a bus pass?

“My wife has to follow a half-empty school bus to and from work every day.

“I have approached my councillor Robert Barr over several years about it, but he said there was nothing he could do and put me on to John Bruce who is the Cabinet Member for Education and he has recently raised the matter with senior education officers.” The parent added: “I’ve spoken to my MSP Kenny Gibson and even emailed every councillor about it.

“They all say the agree with me but that it is a council matter.

“On the face of it everybody seems to agree but they don’t want to do anything about it.” A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “In circumstances where placing requests are received for children to attend a school outwith their catchment area, this deems them ineligible for free school transport.

“However, in these instances individuals can apply for a ‘privilege seat’ which allows them to take spare seats, if any are available, on their chosen school’s transportation.

“Eligibility for privilege seats is based on a set of pre-determined criteria to ensure fairness and transparency in allocating seats.

“Arrangements are in place to receive these requests by September 20, and if a seat is available and the child meets the required criteria, the seat will be allocated by mid-October.

“This is to ensure that we can properly determine the number of spare seats available and make the necessary contractual arrangements with the transport supplier.”