Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced that families living in temporary housing in the region are set to get extra support, in the form of free school travel for children on Bee Network buses. The news comes after the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, asked TfGM to look at options to help with the cost of travel last year.
The Greater Manchester Strategy – the plan for the city region’s next decade – plans to commit to reducing the number of families and children in temporary accommodation. Measures are also being taken to ensure residents have the support they need to access, improve, and retain a decent, affordable home.
Who will benefit from free school travel in Greater Manchester?
Some children end up a long way from their school when placed into temporary accommodation, leaving parents or carers with the difficult choice of moving them to a closer school – thereby disrupting their education – or having to pay unexpected travel costs.
Therefore, to help those families when they need it, free bus travel to and from school is set to be provided to children living in temporary housing, subject to approval of this year’s Combined Authority budget. TfGM will now work with councils to agree on the details and implement the scheme later this year.
“With this measure, the cost of travel to school will be one less thing for families to worry about.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, said: “Temporary accommodation is a symptom of wider housing and inequality issues up and down the country.
“We’re pioneering a new approach in Greater Manchester. It’s amongst the most ambitious in the UK and we are working hard to reduce homelessness, with better support, early intervention and, critically, more high-quality, affordable homes. Part of that is reducing the need for families to be in temporary accommodation.
“Using our locally-controlled Bee Network buses to support families when they need it most is the right thing to do. A move into temporary accommodation is often a massive upheaval for families and can be a worrying time. With this measure, the cost of travel to school will be one less thing for families to worry about. It will mean parents and carers don’t have to choose between an extra demand on their household budget and keeping their children with friends and teachers they know and trust.”