Wednesday 5th November 2003

School Buses

US Style Yellow Buses to become more common?

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Dedicated school bus services are popular with parents and pupils and can play a valuable role in providing an alternative to using the car for the school run, according to new research published by the Department for Transport today.

The report forms part of the DfT's joint working with DfES to reduce car dependency on the school run and improve the range of options open to parents and children.

The research assessed the impact of three Yellow School Bus pilots in Hebden Bridge (West Yorkshire), Runnymede (Surrey) and Wrexham (North Wales), and other school travel schemes around the country.

Key findings included:

• children of both primary and secondary school age valued the convenience of a school bus system;
  
• parents liked the safety and security, especially of having familiar, dedicated drivers;
  
• parents and students highly rated the convenience of a pick up/drop off point close to home and school;
  
• the yellow colour was not an attribute highly ranked by parents or students. It was a positive image for parents of primary pupils but less liked by secondary pupils;
  
• in some circumstances, the prospect of dedicated buses could attract children away from cars; and
  
• dedicated bus services can sometimes discourage children from walking and cycling, and may have negative impacts on commercial bus services. These impacts could be mitigated through careful scheme design.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said:

"Tackling congestion caused by the school run and encouraging safe and sustainable transport alternatives is vital if we are to get the roads moving more freely at peak times .

"Dedicated school bus services are well-liked by parents and students and can offer an alternative to the car. This research will help local authorities consider how dedicated school buses can contribute to the overall mix of transport policies at local level ."

A fat kid from Surrey said,

"I'd rather go to school in Mum's Cherokee than have to walk to a bus stop. "

[docevi1]

we've had them round here for ages, the kids just abuse them and destroy the buses usually.

[agent006]

Yes, have dedicated school buses, just don't copy the americans all the arsing time. It's Britain, busses are RED.

[JMGS4]

A GREAT IDEA!!! Yellow or red, no matter, main thing is all the mumpties in their 4x4 barges and multipurposewankvans are off the road.. make it compulsary for the ickle dears to use the bus.....and the mumsies must be at the end of the road WALKING to collect them...
leave the roads to them wot pays for 'em... sez oi!!

[windsorphil]

docevi1 said:

we've had them round here for ages, the kids just abuse them and destroy the buses usually.

In London one bus operator has introduced a big pink bus, that is used if the kids get out of hand - www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/6944079?source=Evening%20Standard

[JMGS4]

agent006 said:

It's Britain, busses are RED.

or green, or blue, or cream, or or or or !!!!

[docevi1]

windsorphil said:

docevi1 said: we've had them round here for ages, the kids just abuse them and destroy the buses usually. In London one bus operator has introduced a big pink bus, that is used if the kids get out of hand - www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/6944079?source=Evening%20Standard

thats great!

[jamesc]

"A fat kid from Surrey!" a junior Prescott?

[v8thunder]

Nah, that'd be a Jag.
It's a good idea, but why not get the obese morons walking instead. They just need convincing that motorists don't aim to run them down and there is not a paedophile on every corner.

[cacatous]

About bloody time. Too many fat f c u k s in school these days.

So if it actually worked then there would be less schooltime traffic, less pollution, less truancy. The list goes on! PS Why did it take so long to realise this?

[zax]

OK, I find myself amazed that somebody only just realised the school bus is a good idea. You mean there aren't any in the UK?

Little Zax loves the bus. It lets her sit with her friends and harass boys before a hard day's schoolwork

[nonegreen]

I live in Manchester. The school bus will be great on the 5 non rainy days we have during the school year. The rest of the time the Cayennes will just drive to the bus stop and block the road.

Oh and speaking of american school buses, remember Dirty Harry? I know it was a film but I would not trust my kid to be defended by some geriatric highly trained driving specialist.

[Avocet]

I live in the middle of nowhere so my kid (and most round here) goes to school on a bus - its about 15 miles to her school. Hers is only a minibus and I'm happy that its as safe as can reasonably be expected. Some kids go on "retired" coaches (getting on for 20 or even 30 years old some of them!) which causes a bit of concern but I have to trust that they are properly maintained. I can't quite see the point of using American buses over here. I had a look over one a while back and it didn't have any seat belts. The Americans belive in "compartmentalisation" (probably with a "z" though!) rather than restraints. The backs of the seat backrests are thickly padded. I'm not sure its that good an idea myself but I can see the logic. Other than that the bus I saw represented PSV technology pretty much as it was just after the war. To say it was "utilitarian" was something of an understatement! What's wrong with our own buses???

[bjwoods]

So at what age do kids HAVE to walk to school.

5?
6?
7?
8?
9?

driving past most schools near me most kids 12 upwards, seem to wlak with their mates, get a bus, cycle, some are dropped off in a car.

So pity the poor parents that are told you have to send your 5 year old out by themseleves.

Or walk with them, oh you can't do that as you have the work to pay for all the taxes that the government is p****** up the wall.

B