MERSEYSIDE pupils face being ferried to class in ageing school buses under radical new cost-cutting proposals.
Merseytravel – the region’s transport authority – is to consider rewriting its rules and scrapping the current 15-year age limit on the vehicles.
If the “more cost-effective” plan of Merseytravel chief executive Neil Scales is approved, buses of any age would be allowed to take the region’s children to and from school – if deemed safe.
The plan last night prompted safety and reliability concerns among education chiefs and parents.
One furious Liverpool school head teacher and city representative described plans to allow older vehicles on the market as “beyond the pale”.
But Merseytravel, whose members will decide whether to approve the policy change tomorrow, insisted safety was paramount and would not be compromised should the age limit restriction be lifted.
Its chartered engineer would also monitor and check the buses.
According to Merseytravel data, it pays bus operators to run about 150 school buses each day, costing around £5m, one-sixth of the total it spends on bus services.
Merseytravel is tasked with providing “socially necessary bus services” if there are no regular bus services to places like hospitals and schools.
