Hard-pressed parents are facing a major rise in school bus fares in Shropshire after operator Arriva raised prices above inflation.

Now a leading county councillor has called for action after claiming parents are struggling to meet the new ticket prices.

Arriva Midlands increased prices for single journey tickets and multi journey saver prices across the county from January 3, blaming cuts in funding and a 38 per cent rise in fuel bills.

It said selected single journeys across the county rose by 10 pence and a small number by 20 or 30 pence.

In Shrewsbury, the price of a weekly ticket from Gains Park to Meole Brace School has gone up from £10 to £12 – a rise of 20 per cent.

“This is a rise well above inflation,” Councillor Roger Evans said.

He said it was time that action was taken by the education department, schools or the bus company to make the cost of travelling to school ‘reasonable’.

Councillor Evans said he had been contacted by a constituent in his Longden ward who was paying £24 every week to send two children to school.

“I understand that this is happening at other locations as well so it is a county-wide problem,” he added.

Karen Bradshaw, group manager for learning and skills at Shropshire Council, said most pupils in the Gains Park area lived less than three miles from their school, and under national guidelines that meant getting them to and from classes was their parents’ responsibility.

She also said it was the bus company that had increased its prices.

Ms Bradshaw said Shropshire Council had invested in cycle lanes between the school and Gains Park and had also improved routes for walkers.

But she added: “Where pupils live less than three miles from school it is up to parents to take responsibility for school transport”.

She said she would raise the matter with Arriva.

Arriva’s managing director Bob Hind said: “No one likes to increase their prices especially at such a difficult time but, as everyone knows from their domestic bills, costs are steadily rising.

“Funding from Central Government to local authorities has been cut resulting in reductions in reimbursement for concessionary travel schemes to local bus companies.”