The price of the Young Person’s Travel Pass is to go up by £10.
The scheme, introduced by Kent County Council in 2014, offers ‘free’ use of bus services Monday to Friday between 6am and 7pm.
The pass will now cost £290 and applications for its use from September open on June 4.
It will remain at £100 for low-income families.
KCC cabinet member for transport Mike Whiting said: “Nobody wants to see prices increase but unfortunately, as fares rise, we are in the unenviable position of having to put the cost of the pass up.
“I believe this is still the most generous scheme outside of London. KCC does not have to provide the pass but we do so because we want to promote sustainable school travel on the public bus network.
“Parents have a choice to get the pass or pay the operator the bus fare direct, which in some cases could cost up to £740.
“Our scheme, which is subsidised by the taxpayer at about £300-£330 per pass, costs around £1.50 a day. With the extended hours of use, I believe this offers extremely good value for money.”
KCC provides £8.5 million to the scheme each year. The county council allows parents to halve the cost by purchasing half-yearly passes.
Costs
Full year pass (3 September 2018 to 31 July 2019)
- £290
- £100 if you get free school meals
Term 1-3 pass (3 September 2018 to 1 March 2019)
- £145
- £50 if you get free school meals
Term 4-6 pass (25 February 2019 to 31 July 2019)
- £145
- £50 if you get free school meals
Free passes for:
Young carers
Youngsters in care or care leavers
A family applying for more than two full cost passes, you can get the third or fourth for free.
For more information visit www.kent.gov.uk/youngpersonstravelpass
