Controversial changes to a county-wide bus pass for schoolchildren have seen a drop in applications, figures show.

The county council has seen 3,117 fewer requests from parents for the permit compared to this time last year.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show there were 27,340 applications for KCC’s new version of the pass in 2013 , compared to 24,223 this year - a drop of 11%.

Kent County Council doubled the charge for what was known as the Freedom Pass last year to £200 and restricted its use to Monday to Friday, rather than all week.

The council said in a statement: “The £200 annual travel pass represents excellent value for money and could allow parents to save hundreds of pounds a year on the costs involved in transporting their child to school. It must be borne in mind that this is a discretionary service that we do not have to provide."

"Outside London,it is the most generous of its kind and in other areas the level of support is significantly lower or non-existent.”

Opposition parties said the price increase meant more parents were now driving their children to school, causing added congestion and pollution.

UKIP spokesman Cllr Mike Baldock said: “The fact that there has been a drop shows that people have been priced out of the market. It means that there are probably more people driving their children to school than has been the case.”

Labour opposition leader Cllr Gordon Cowan echoed: “It is simply unaffordable for some, particularly for families with two or three children. We are also seeing an increase in people applying for home-to-school transport, which is counter-productive.”

While there has been a drop in the number applying for the pass for 11-16-year-olds, there has been an increase in those applying for the Kent 16+ Travel Card.

KCC figures show that it has received 4,567 applications at September this year, compared with 3,177 last year.

The increase coincides with the introduction of a requirement on young people to remain in school, college or a training scheme until they are 18.

KCC said a public sector spending squeeze meant it had to save £273m over the next three years.