Concerns have been raised about potential "chaos" on Kent roads when schools return in three weeks' time.

This is due to concern over a surge in family car usage, after Kent County Council (KCC) revealed that the demand for bus passes for secondary school students has dropped by around 75% this year amid the Covid-19 crisis.

A total of 6,134 Kent Travel Saver cards have been sent to pupils in Years 7 to 11. The season tickets ensure that people save up to 50% off the cost of local bus travel and are valid from this September to August 2021.

This marks a significant reduction in demand from last year where around 24,000 youngsters received the annual bus pass from KCC.

Cllr Rob Bird (Lib Dem), KCC's main opposition leader, warned that thousands of extra family cars on the roads would cause "carnage".

The Maidstone county councillor added: "What we can't afford in Kent is for pupils to be relying on private vehicles to get to school.

"That will cause chaos on our roads and increase air pollution to unacceptable levels."

"We can't afford for pupils to be relying on private vehicles to get to school"

KCC's cabinet member for highways, Cllr Michael Payne (Con), says the county council still awaits "detailed guidance" from the government on transport arrangements for schools returning next month.

Around 7,000 Kent sixth-form students successfully applied for a 16+ travel card between September 2019 and this July, but that dropped sharply to 1,865 for this upcoming school year.

Cllr Barry Lewis (Lab), a member of KCC's school transport committee, said: "This is a massive vote of no confidence in the county council in sorting out the school transport system."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said three days ago that it was the "moral duty" of his government to get all children back into school in England from September.

However, councils and bus operators across England continue to lobby the Department for Transport (DfT) for more details about school travel.

Stagecoach serves most secondary schools in East Kent, but the service is operating at just over one-third of its usual capacity on buses. Only 32 seats can be occupied compared to at least 77 before the pandemic.

Earlier today, a spokesman for Stagecoach said: "We'll be running our usual complement of school day bus services from September.

"We have a range of measures in place to ensure our buses are clean, safe and ready to help get children to and from school from the start of term.

"Discussions are ongoing between bus operators, KCC and the DfT about school transport arrangements, including how government guidelines will apply and the impact this may have on available capacity."

On Saturday, KCC's highways boss assured parents there will be enough school vehicles on the road next month.

Cllr Payne said: "We have asked our local bus operators to make sure, as part of social distancing, that there is no standing on buses and face coverings for those over 11 and without an exemption are required."

Parents have been told that they can still apply for a £370 Kent Travel Saver card for this school year.

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