Surrey County Council will carry on subsidising transport for students aged between 16 and 19 in 2010/11, after the Cabinet gave its approval on 13th July.

Cabinet Member for Transport Ian Lake said: “Given the financial position nationally, we had to consider whether it was right for us to continue supporting this scheme.”

With public sector budgets under such pressure currently, the council has had to increase the cost of the card from £10 to £25, but Mr Lake explained that this would still only go a small way to helping the authority meet the costs of the scheme.

“We regret having to charge students more, but for every rail pass we issue we will have to pay South West Trains £125, and for every bus pass the average payment to bus operators is about £75. So even with the increase this still represents exceptional value for money for our young residents.”

Students from low income families will be protected, as those receiving the highest level of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) will be entitled to pay half price for the card.

The Student Fare (Bus and Rail) Card schemes have been very successful over the years, with over 2,700 bus passes and 4,600 rail passes issued during 2009/10, allowing students to travel to the school or college of their choice at reduced rates.

To qualify for a student fare card, students have to be between 16 and 19 years old, live in the county and be in full-time education.

The cards entitle the holder to concessions when travelling to and from their school or college using public transport.