Dear Madam/Sir

G,Maxwell asks in his letter in September Bugle 'what's happened to school buses'? I'll tell you. There are privately run school buses in Kiama. But, if you live less than 2.3 kms from a primary school or 2.9kms from a high school you can't get a free travel pass - you must pay $200 for a yearly pass. 

So most local Kiama kids attending the primary schools or high school aren't eligible for a free travel pass. But Kiama kids attending private schools in Shellharbour or Wollongong can travel free to school. 

There was a time when children were encouraged to attend local public schools - now public schools suffer from a lack of funding as more government funds go to private schools than public schools. Surely those parents who choose to send their kids to local schools should be rewarded for this by getting free school travel. Then more kids would use the buses and there'd be less congestion on our roads at drop off and pick up times.

Yes G. Maxwell - let's bring back the free school buses for local kids. Perhaps this is something our local member and the new Councillors could take up with the State Government.

K. Dummett

Kiama