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Hundreds of people have signed a petition against Caerphilly Council’s plans to cut free transport in Aberbargoed – one of nine routes under threat across the county borough.

The council is preparing to wind down school transport for around 340 pupils after declaring their routes to school as safe and below a two-mile qualifying distance.

Signatories of a new petition say they “strongly oppose” the plan to remove a school bus service for children in Aberbargoed who attend Bargoed’s Heolddu Comprehensive.

They argue cutting the service “places an unacceptable burden on children as young as 11, who will be expected to walk long and challenging distances to school without supervision”.

Caerphilly Council accepted the cuts would disappoint some residents, but said the routes had been declared safe after a “robust and consistent assessment process”.

Nine routes have been earmarked for service reductions – with any pupils living along those routes and within two miles of their school expected to make their own way to lessons from September.

The following routes are reportedly affected:

• Aberbargoed to Heolddu Comprehensive;
• Abertridwr to St Cenydd Comprehensive;
• Bedwas/Trethomas to Ysgol Y Gwyndy;
• Caerphilly to Bedwas High School;
• Gelligaer/Penybryn/Tiryberth to Lewis Girls School;
• Llanbradach to Ysgol Y Gwyndy;
• Maesycwmmer to Lewis Girls School;
• Maesycwmmer to Ystrad Mynach College;
• Trinant to Islwyn High School.

The online petition against the cuts for Heolddu Comprehensive has been signed by more than 300 people to date.

It disputes the council’s claim the route is safe, because it “involves walking along and crossing busy main roads, often without adequate lighting or safe crossing points”.

The petitioners also argue pupils’ health will be impacted if they are left “unsupported” on an unsupervised route, and will “remain in damp clothing throughout the day” when they have to walk a nearly four-mile round-trip in bad weather.

“Not all children are ready to undertake such a journey independently,” the petitioners claim. “Maturity, confidence, and awareness of road safety vary, and for many families, the risks are simply too great.”

They have called on the council to reconsider the plan and reinstate the bus service, or provide “a safe, reliable and appropriate alternative transport solution”.

Their calls follow criticism of the policy from the council’s Plaid Cymru opposition group – its leader, Cllr Charlotte Bishop, said “safety must come before policy”.

Cllr Jamie Pritchard, who leads the Labour-controlled council, has defended the changes and said Caerphilly remained “one of only a few local authorities in Wales that offers such a wide access to free transport for pupils”.

Speaking previously, a council spokesperson said: “We appreciate that these changes are likely to cause concern and disappointment, but the council must take a fair and consistent approach in the application of our transport policy.”

The spokesperson said each route had been reviewed in line with national guidance .

“Pupil safety is our main priority when making these decisions and the routes that have been re-assessed are now deemed safe, therefore our policy needs to be applied accordingly,” they added.