AFTER numerous complaints because of changes made to the school bus network in Redditch Worcestershire County Council has admitted there have been “teething problems”.

The Advertiser has received a number of letters, emails and calls from parents worried about their children’s safety due to county comissioned buses being cancelled, routes being changed and prices increased.

Children going to and from Kingsley College used to be able to catch two buses, the S90 and the S91, but due to money saving the S90 was cancelled.

One concerned parent, who didn’t want to be named, said: “There are twice as many children on the one bus now.

“They are being forced to sit on top of each other, stand in the aisles, and in some cases have to walk across a busy roundabout to get to a bus stop.

“Also, the price of a ticket which used to be 50p has now been increased to £1.50.

“Both of these changes have been brought in without any warning or consideration at all - it’s ridiculous.“

Speaking about the situation Redditch MP Karen Lumley said: “I have already contacted the chief executive of the county council who has assured me that the issue is being looked into as a matter of urgency and that they are hoping for things to be resolved shortly.”

The county council bus budget was reduced from £4 million to £1.5 million.

A spokesman from the county council, said: “As it is to be expected with any major changes, there have been some teething problems which we are working to resolve.

“We have already changed the routes of S91 and S94 in conjunction with Diamond Bus to overcome some overloading problems and are continuing to work with the bus operators to try to obtain greater capacity on the bus services to Kingsley School.

“For example, First have acquired a double-deck vehicle which from last week operates in the afternoons on the S93. There will also be a second single-deck bus operating on this route in the morning.

“It is intended that this will alleviate some of the capacity issues.

She added: “Fares in Redditch have not been reviewed for some time and were thus due to be looked at. Although they have risen, they remain relatively low compared to other parts of the county."