The Infrastructure Minister appears to be in doubt over the decision to reduce the validity period of discount bus travel cards for students.

A significant change to the use of GoSchool cards for primary and secondary school students has been in place since the start of the week, but Minister Tim Crookall said his department was “still reviewing and working on it”.

Bus Vannin cards, which offer travel discounts for students traveling to and from school, are now no longer valid after 5pm.

Bus Vannin says the move comes down to a change in the school schedule with earlier finishes.

Previously, the cards allowed subsidized travel until 6pm, accommodating students participating in extracurricular activities.

The SCH 1 card is for primary school students, the SCH 2 card is for secondary school students and the SCH 3 is for University College Isle of Man (UCM) students.

Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall was quizzed at this week’s House of Keys by Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse about the factors that contributed to the decision.

Mr Crookall confirmed that since the start of this school term, 1,000 pupils have used the bus between 5pm and 6pm. He claimed that most students did not use the service as a result of school activities after 5pm.

He said: “It was clear that the school’s smart card was no longer relevant and needed to be reviewed.

“The issue we have at the moment is in relation to pupils doing after school activities and we are still reviewing that and working with the schools and we are happy to take any comments on board.”

He said on the first day of the changes some students were allowed to board buses with their IDs because they were at after school activities.

When asked by Douglas East MHK, Joney Faragher, where there is a way of making money from working families through their pupils, Mr Crookall replied: “It’s certainly not a money maker at all, but going back to what should have been in the first place. . It’s about getting the best out of the service.

“Books are meant to take the student from home to school and back home again. We find that most students who drop in after 5pm are not at the school pick up points but could have gone into town after school and used it again after 5pm.

Rushen MHK Michelle Haywood asked if 5pm is long enough for children to play a game of football or another sport or attend shows after school.

Mr Crookall said he was “happy to agree with her”.

He also said that if too many students use the service unrelated to school activities, then it could mean buses are overcrowded and prevent other passengers from using them.

Mr Crookall told members of his department he was “still reviewing and working on this”.

The policy change sparked a backlash from parents and students who say the decision overlooks the needs of young people involved in extracurricular activities, sports games and after-school study sessions.

One parent said: “Leave it at 6pm so if there’s a club or sports match they’d like to go to they can or better yet they don’t have a time limit – as long as it’s a school trip and a day trip back, what’s the difference?