Parents are piling on the pressure on an under-fire bus boss, demanding he overturns changes to school services.

MPs also met earlier this week with Peter Knight, Stagecoach South West MD to press for a rethink after the key school service for Tavistock area children to get to Plymouth schools was cut without notice.

Fares have also been hiked up, with children having to use an app on a smartphone to access the cheaper fares.

And parents say it affects all children getting to school and college in rural areas across Devon.

The protest is gathering speed as the new term approaches.

A petition (via this link https://chng.it/6x77gnNNm9) calls on Stagecoach to restore services and review the pricing throughout Devon.

It asks for fair, capped fares and concession schemes for schoolchildren and full-time students — not just in the main towns and cities but in the rural areas countywide.

Simon Boon’s daughter Evie starts Plymouth High School For Girls, in September.

He said: “Children are being penalised as a captive market for their children’s travel across rural areas.

“The tone is about grammar school children getting to Plymouth, but this will affect all children outside this city, Exeter and Torbay travelling by bus, includinbg those coming from rural areas into Tavistock College. The changes being imposed, during the summer holidays and five weeks before the school term, are causing significant concern.

”Stagecoach South West announced on July 20 several changes to bus routes, ticket prices and availability that will have a detrimental impact across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.”

Changes include cancelling of the X1 Tavistock to Plymouth bus route (from September) – the primary service for Plymouth secondary schools, because it is ‘not economically viable’.

Simon said this cancellation did not make sense because Stagecoach lay on extra bus from Yelverton due to the lack of capacity in the mornings. A much more expensive private bus option through another provider is suggested by Stagecoach.

Stagecoach is removing physical tickets and passes for all ages, meaning passengers have to use the Stagecoach app, or pay the higher same-day travel.

Simon said: “For parents, this means buying expensive smartphones which flies in the face of all recent advice about limiting access to smartphone technology for young children.”

Stagecoach are removing the Plymouth Plus term rider for children, which allow Tavistock children up to 16 years old term-time travel for £243. It will be replaced with online ticketing options costing a minimum 26% annual increase (£308 per term) or, without the Stagecoach app, 65% (£400). Over 16 year olds face an 83% increase to £444 per term.

Stagecoach said it could “understand the concerns raised by parents and representatives, particularly regarding travel to Plymouth schools” and apologised for the late notice which it said was beyond its control.

“We can now confirm that from August 31 2025 the X1 service between Tavistock and Plymouth high schools will not be returning,” the company said.. Unfortunately, this service was no longer commercially viable under its previous pricing structure.”

It has unveiled full details of new child fares, which include a Flexi 10 child ticket that costs £4.62 per day, consisting of ten single day passes valid any time.