Call for yellow school buses

Thursday, 16 June 2005 12:00 AM

Campaigners claim the introduction of American-style school buses in the UK would save lives, as well as cutting congestion time and helping to protect the environment.

A report commissioned by the Sutton Trust reveals that rolling out buses nationwide would reduce the 40 deaths and 900 serious injuries a year caused by the school run, as well as cutting environmental and fuel costs by up to £458 million a year.

A coalition of educational and social charity groups will today park a yellow school bus outside the Houses of Parliament in a bid to persuade the Government to adopt the scheme.

Sir Peter Lampl, the trust's chairman, believes the adoption of a US-style scheme "makes sound economic sense".

"Nearly 20 per cent of traffic on the UK's roads during the morning rush hour is on the school run and this is increasing," he commented.

"It leads directly to as many as 40 deaths and 900 serious injuries each year and contributes over two million extra tonnes of carbon dioxide annually to the atmosphere."

A number of trial schemes have recently been set up in England, with teachers, parents and students claiming the buses had cut down on costs and journey times.

The introduction of yellow buses in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, cut car journeys by 25,000 a year.

However, a 2003 Department of Transport evaluation of the schemes concluded that while traffic levels initially declined, car usage rose again in the long-term.

The Government introduced a School Transport Bill in the last Parliament, which would have permitted Local Education Authorities to adopt innovative solutions to school transport, including more school buses.

The Bill fell due to a lack of parliamentary time caused by the general election, although many of the measures will be reintroduced through the Education Bill in the current Parliament.

Sceptics point out that a yellow bus scheme would cost taxpayers as much as £124 million a year.

At present, just six per cent of pupils use school buses in the UK, compared with 54 per cent of US students.

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