THE boss of a bus firm which left West Bergholt parents fuming after hiking a school bus route pass to nearly £1,000 says he is “particularly disappointed” in Essex County Council after no fuel support.
The 907 Central Connect bus route from West Bergholt to Stanway School rose from around £405 to £999 for an annual pass.
Parents and county councillor Sara Naylor previously spoke to the Gazette about the issue last week.
Peter Nathanail, the managing director of Central Connect, has now issued a statement on the route which is under contract to the county authority.
Providing context on the situation, he said: “During the 2025-2026 academic year the bus pass price for routes 901, 902 and 903 was £942 for the year.
This price has increased by 6.1 per cent for the 2026-2027 academic year, to £999.
“We believe that this is a reasonable increase, given the significant increases we have faced this year affecting our fuel costs, how much the parts for our buses cost and how much we pay our colleagues.
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“£999 per year equates to £5.26 per day, or £2.63 per single journey, based on 190 school days per year, which we believe still represents very good value overall.
“However, we recognise that for passengers using route 907 the position is rather different.”
If a child is eligible, they are entitled to free transport on the 907 as the authority has a ticket agreement with the operator.
Mr Nathanail has acknowledged the “sudden increase” in price “was significant and unexpected for many parents”.
However, he explained the revenue collected on this bus route “has never fully covered its operating cost” and company costs have increased but “subsidy provided” by the council has not.
The Central Connect boss says the subsidy won’t change until 2028 and it has caused the firm significant difficultly due to the “steep and unexpected increases” in fuel prices.
He has slammed the county authority after the company did not provide help for fuel support, and he claims the council denied the request was ever made in a BBC article.
“We wrote to Essex County Council in March 2026 requesting support with the cost of fuel needed to deliver the bus services we operate on their behalf", he said.
“Having received no support, we highlighted at the end of April 2026 that there would be significant fare increases for customers if no support was forthcoming.
“Regrettably, no support has been forthcoming, and so we have had no choice but to impose these significant fare increases to try and maintain the sustainability of our business.
On a personal note, I am particularly disappointed that Essex County Council have denied to the BBC that we made any requests.
“I feel that this shows a lack of candour on the part of the senior leadership of Essex County Council’s Integrated Public Transport Unit.
“The disappointment is made more acute by the fact that all of the other Local Transport Authorities with whom we work have worked closely in partnership with us to find resolutions to this issue.
“Had Essex County Council engaged with us properly, we could have explored alternative solutions to avoid needing to pass such significant increases onto passengers.”
Mr Nathanail ended the statement by concluding parents should not experience the stress of having to find such a large sum of money in a short space of time due to the “disappointing actions” of the council.
With immediate effect, a full academic year ticket called the autumn term pass will be reduced in price to £375 for the 907 bus route.
The firm will “attempt to engage” with the council over financial support this autumn term and if any support is provided, it will reduce the cost of the spring and summer term passes.
If no support is provided, the spring and summer passes will be purchasable at £200 each rather than the planned £340, thus equating to a total cost of £775 for the year.
What has the authority said?
Councillor Mark Webster, cabinet member for highways and infrastructure at Essex County Council, said: "Central Connect service 907 is contracted by Essex County Council on a net-cost basis.
"This means the transport provider, Central Connect, sets the cost of the fares without input from the council and retains the revenue.
“To be clear – Central Connect is the only provider which chose to increase its fares to such a scale. We have not faced this issue with any other providers.
“This was a disappointing decision which targets local children and families. Especially before the start of the new school term, when many families will have already budgeted and made travel arrangements.
“The Central Connect contract was awarded in 2024. We will be contacting the company about its decision, making our views clear and reviewing future contracts.”
What has a local councillor said?
Conservative Councillor Sara Naylor, who represents West Bergholt at Colchester Council and Essex County Council, said: “While I welcome the decision by Central Connect to reduce its huge price rise by £224, its new maximum annual bus pass price of £775 is still very nearly double last year’s annual bus pass price. Last year the same journey on route 907 to The Stanway School cost about £400 for the year.
“West Bergholt parents acknowledge some progress but understandably many feel this should just be the start of fixing something that's clearly gone very wrong. It’s important to remember these parents were given no warning and there's no reasonable alternative.
"Quite rightly all agree walking or cycling instead is far too dangerous along a narrow country lane with high hedges and a national speed limit, and no pavements. Children must then cross the London-Norwich main line at a level crossing. It’s an accident waiting to happen, particularly in the dark winter months.
“Central Connect should set aside its differences over the school bus contract and refocus on alleviating the impact on hard-pressed West Bergholt families who're caught in the middle.
“Central Connect sensibly left the door open for possible further price reductions in the coming weeks. It’s worth noting parents were expecting, and budgeted for, an inflationary rise on last year’s annual bus pass price.”
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