Torfaen Council is set to award seven school transport contracts worth a total of £852.92 a day.

The council has a statutory obligation to provide home-to-school as part of its home-to-school transport policy. Fourteen transport providers took part in the tender process to take children to and from various schools from 1 September 2023 to 25 July 2026.

A report has been prepared for Rachel Jowitt, the council’s strategic director of economy and environment. She is being asked to approve the contracts following the procurement process.

The contracts are for three years with an option to extend for a further two years. The total cost is £705,674.

A route from the Torfaen Learning Zone to homes in Cwmbran, Talywain and Blaenavon is costing £90 a day. And two routes from Abersychan School’s special needs resource base to Blaenavon and Varteg are costing a total of £300 a day.

The report warns that the home-to-school transport market is ‘extremely unstable’. It highlights a risk that due to rising costs for operators the prices they bid ‘may not be sustainable over the whole period of the contract’.

Ms Jowitt is due to make a decision on Monday 10 July 2023.