ANGRY parents say teenagers in the Yorkshire Dales are being penalised for living in a rural community – after the cost of an annual bus pass for students over 16 leapt from £300 to £550.

They are protesting about the hike in charges for the home to school transport scheme – and have won the support of Richmondshire District Council leader John Blackie.

“The charge is a tax on living in the countryside,” he said.

Mum Diane Raw, from Hawes, said she will have to pay £50 a month for her 17-year-old son David to go to Wensleydale School in Leyburn from September.

“It is outrageous, especially as it is not a special bus, just the normal school bus that has lots of empty spaces,” she said.

“David said he would leave because it was so expensive – I told him absolutely not – but it is not fair to be discriminated against because we live in a rural area.”

The annual cost of a bus pass was £300 when first introduced but it has been increased recently to £480 and it is due to rise again in September to £550.

Cllr Blackie said: “Parents of students living near to the school or college can escape the charge by using their own cars, arranging car pools with other parents living nearby, or even sending their youngsters on their bicycles.

“These opportunities to avoid paying the bus pass charge are not available for parents living in communities at some distance from the school or college.”

He added: “I want to see the bus pass charge abolished, and if that is not possible then consideration needs to be made to reducing the charge to a much lower level.”

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said: "The council has levied a charge for post-16 transport since 2006. However, the charge to users does not cover the full cost of providing transport.”

He said the county had to find another £74m through cuts by 2020 and was looking to make savings in discretionary areas such as the home to school transport budget.

He added: "The county council intends to look again at post-16 home to school and college transport at a later date, once the effect of this change has been analysed.”