Last updated 16:58, Friday, 24 October 2008

US-STYLE yellow buses are symbolic with TV shows like The Simpsons and American films. But the bright buses are being used in certain parts of the UK.
Supporters say they bring safety, educational, environmental and economic benefits.
Reporter NATALIE CHAPPLES asked Cumbria County Council and educationalists in South Cumbria for their thoughts on if the buses could work here

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ICONIC yellow buses are often associated with American schools – but the vehicles are already transporting pupils to school in towns and cities across of the UK.

The instantly identifiable buses, which are said to boost child safety, are being run in places such as Cheshire and parts of Manchester, Merseyside and Scotland.

The government has been urged to consider introducing the buses for all primary school children in Britain.

A report by the Yellow School Bus Commission says the scheme would get children to and from school safely. They also say it would help reduce congestion, be better for the environment and improve attendance times for schools.

The commission, chaired by David Blunkett, has said the scheme could revolutionise the school run, cutting millions of car journeys a year and saving parents millions in petrol costs. The commission’s review found that in the past 20 years the numbers of children being driven to school by car has doubled.

Under the scheme, each child is assigned their own seat and they wear a seatbelt. Parents pay £1 per child per day. It said those entitled to free school meals should not be charged. The pupils are the only people on the buses so the route is designed for them.

The commission report actually encourages walking and biking when primary pupils live less than a mile from school or secondary pupils live less than two miles.

Cumbria County Council said school transport is one of its most highly rated services.

A council spokesman said: “We have no plans to introduce yellow school buses to Cumbria at the present time.

“We are very proud of our current school transport service.

“More than 1,300 families responded to our most recent school transport survey. “Eighty eight per cent of respondents were satisfied with the service, a rise of two per cent since 2006, making it one of the council’s most highly rated services.

“Eighty four per cent of parents said their child was happy using the service to get to and from school, up six per cent since 2006.

“Almost 700 young people use our special needs transport service, and 94 per cent reported they were happy using the service.

“We use more than 150 different transport providers. We try hard to provide an excellent service but we are not complacent. Anyone with any problems should contact us.”

Maggie Cole, the headteacher of Goodly Dale Primary School, in Windermere, said: “I think it seems like a very good idea. I’m all for keeping children safe and reducing the number of cars pulling up outside school dropping children off.

“However I’m not sure how it might work in Cumbria given the geography of our area.

“There could potentially be great benefits for secondary school children who possibly have to travel further to get to school. Small primary schools often draw children from a smaller catchment area and these children often walk or cycle to school.

“There might also be issues about school start times. These may have to be staggered depending on which children use the bus. It would be unlikely for a school like ours to need to have their own bus.

“Even those schools who do have some children arriving at school in taxis might only have two or three children. I think in principle it is a good idea and would work well in larger towns and more urban areas.”

Mark Squires, the headteacher of Langdale CE Primary School, near Ambleside, said: “I can see there being huge benefits to a uniform colouring system for buses transporting children to and from school. It may take time to get everyone on board. At the moment private contractors use these vehicles for other purposes. There isn’t enough slack in the system to have buses dedicated to school transport.

“At Langdale School, the local authority provide transport for children living a certain distance away. Many of those who do not qualify for free provision car share, and the rest walk, or are dropped off by a parent going on elsewhere to work.

“In the Lake District there is also the issue of the significant number of buses transporting children for outdoor education centres, that all have their own corporate colouring, maybe the yellow bus scheme should incorporate these vehicles too.”