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The sudden and alarming news that some parents will face an up to 240 per cent increase per child in transport fees for their children is very unnerving. With almost daily increases in commodities, rents and other general costs, this increase is the very last thing parents were expecting. At the moment the increase affects only one private school group, which is using a particular bus transport service, but the fear is, if parents accept such an astronomic increase, other schools and other bus services may feel obliged to follow.
What has particularly upset some parents is the fact that the announcement of the increases came only a few days before the end of term, allowing no forewarning or time for discussion, thereby presenting the proposal as a fait accompli. No indication has been given as to why there is such an increase, except that the service is "outsourced" and therefore, presumably, no longer the schools' responsibility to justify the increases. Nor has any indication been given on what improvement in services there will be, if any.
It is usually assumed that outsourcing a service will create an improvement, saving and benefit to users, but as there is no indication given, it cannot be presumed in this case.
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