Scrap the Hertfordshire SaverCard Scheme

The SaverCard scheme in Hertfordshire is affecting the safety of our children. The scheme ‘entitles’ the children, aged 11-16, in Hertfordshire to pay 'child fare' on the bus services in the County, without which the children are liable for 'adult fare'.

The current Policy is that each child is supposed to pay the Council £10 for the benefit of saying a child is a child. If a child does not have their SaverCard, forgets or loses it, and does not have the money for adult fare, the bus driver is suppose to offer the option of taking the child's name and address and for the bus operator to seek reimbursement. Hertfordshire County Council are expecting our children, who are as young as 11 years old, to give their names and addresses to a perfect stranger just because he/she happens to be driving a bus. Yet bus drivers do not have Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks.

However, according to the children, this does not happen as they are not given that option. Where a child 'forgets/loses' their card, they are being expected to pay an adult fare. If a child does not have enough money they are being told to 'pay up or get off’. It is appalling that any of our children, because of a scheme run by the County Council, are being left at bus stops with no other means of transport. The problem was, not that I had any trouble in verifying this but that I had no trouble at all. The more children I spoke to, the more it became obvious that this is happening to many, if not all, children in Hertfordshire.

Two bus drivers have stated if they do not charge the correct fare and if an inspector boards the bus, the bus driver is 'penalised' for issuing the incorrect fare. One of them also stated they 'don't have time to take children's names and addresses all day long'. It should be noted that both drivers have stated that they have never left a child at a bus stop.

This is not a vendetta against bus drivers. They do an excellent job in what can be very difficult circumstances. It is not even the bus companies who are at fault as they are only adhering to the 'policies of Hertfordshire County Council'. One bus operator, Arriva, states on their website:

'General Fare conditions

Adult fare anyone over the age of 16 years of age

Child fare anyone who has not reached their 16th birthday

In Hertfordshire you must hold a saver card to be entitled to child fares'

It is Hertfordshire County Council that is at fault. It is their policy and it is that policy which is flawed. If any policy in Hertfordshire puts any child at risk, then that policy should not exist in the first place.

No doubt the Council will offer a platitude that they will ensure this does not happen again, that it is in line with other schemes around the country, etc, but it is not good enough. It has happened and it is happening. The Council pay a flat rate per mile to the bus companies for the benefit of everybody, so they had no reason to force children to pay adult fares other than the profit they make on the issue of these SaverCards.

The bus companies have a child fare which every child in this County should be entitled to without being held to ransom by the Council. A child should be required to show identification only if there is any question they are not a child. But instead of looking after our children, they have bought in a scheme which not only appears to be exploitation of our children but one that can affect their safety too.