Free bus subscription for elementary school students is no longer necessary - parents defend themselves!

Free bus subscription for elementary school students is no longer necessary - parents defend themselves!

In the Alb-Donau district, many families are faced with a change that could put a lot of strain on the budget: From August 1, 2025, the free school transport for primary school children in grades 1 to 4 will be abolished. This affects around 2,000 pupils and is part of a savings measure that is to save the district one million euros annually. District Administrator Heiner Scheffold explains that the district has a deficit of up to 17 million euros and that the deletion of the bus subscription is one of over 40 measures to consolidate the budget. Many elementary school students are particularly dependent on the bus in rural areas, and the decision already has a massive impact on the families concerned.

This project called the parents in Hörvelsingen on the scene that started an online petition to struggle against the stress of deleting the free school. Melanie Metwalli, the mother of a primary school student, expresses that the costs are now being passed on to the families. In the future, parents will have to pay around 40 euros per month for the bus subscription. A trio of school -age children could get almost 1,500 euros a year - a financial burden that not everyone can do.

petition and support for affected families

The online petition, which is aimed at the district office in the Alb-Donau district, has already collected around 2,000 signatures since June 9. The goal is clear: withdrawing the decision to abolish free transportation for elementary school students and the support for families, especially in rural areas that rely on public transport. The Förderverein Bildungshaus Errben e.V. from Lonsee has launched the initiative and appeals to the district council to rethink this decision. After all, families could expect at least 473 euros per child per year, based on the D-Ticket Jugendbw.

The planned deletion of student transport is not the first incident of this kind in the country. In other counties, such as Heidenheim, there have been no free school buses for three decades. Parents pay around 30 euros per month for transportation, while in the Ostalb district there are only 20 euros. But even with such prices, it turns out that parents criticize the high costs for a bus ride between Hörvelsingen and Albeck that lasts only three minutes.

Legal basis for student transport

The regulations for student transportation differ greatly in Germany. According to the legal foundations, schools in Germany are responsible for promotion according to the federal states. The conditions under which free transportation is granted include distance from school and school type and level. Interestingly, students in many federal states are entitled to free transport from a distance of at least 2 km. Therefore, the question arises how the decision to delete the transport costs for elementary school students in the Alb-Donau district is still legally durable.

Currently it remains to be seen whether the petition and the pressure of the parents will have an effect. District Administrator Scheffold has emphasized that the decision of the district council can no longer be changed. But maybe after the coming school year there will be a way to re -set the soft. In order to keep an eye on the well -being of the children and the financial burdens of the families, it remains important to maintain dialogue about school transportation in the region.

Further information on the situation of the student transportation can be found in the reports of SWR Aktuell , Open petition and advocard .