AMY Dumville, aged 11, has been told she is not eligible for a free travel pass because she lives only 2.6 miles from her school via "the quickest walking route".

A walk of three miles - quite a long distance it seems to us - is the minimum journey for a free pass.

The fact that Amy's route would have been along a lonely, dual carriageway grass verge and she could have been walking there in the dark, seems not to have been taken into consideration by Bolton's education department. But Amy's angry mother Mrs Dumville is understandably concerned. Her description of the council's quickest walking route is that it is "totally unacceptable".

No caring parent would allow a child to walk along a narrow path where she could be in danger from both traffic and attackers.

Despite measuring the distance, the education department has said it does not expect pupils to walk to school. Understandably, Mrs Dumville is mystified about this ambiguity. But she is not taking any chances and will pay Amy's fares.

The case is to go to appeal which seems to be a complete waste of time and money.

Commonsense dictates that Amy should get a free bus pass without any more prevarication.

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