Yellow buses: should they be in Britain, asks bus operator

Feb 23 2008 by Laura Sharpe, Liverpool Daily Post

A YELLOW school bus parked in the centre of Liverpool yesterday to ask people their thoughts on school buses.

Parents, pupils and shoppers crossing Williamson Square were invited on board to fill in a question-naire on travel to and from school.

The bright US-style bus has been conver-ted to an exhibition space and is touring the UK visiting 20 towns and cities to canvass opinion on the use of the distinct bus.

The tour is backed by the Yellow School Bus Commission, a new organisation spearheaded by MP David Blunkett to examine the environ-mental, social, educa-tional, time and cost benefits of a nation-wide network of home to school transport.

Every day across America, 500,000 yellow buses weave their way street-to-street carrying 25m pupils to and from school.

The commission is hoping to quantify the responses from the bus tour to see if yellow buses are a possibility across the UK.

Stuart Render, of First Group which operates the greatest number of yellow buses across North America and Canada, said: “The response has been good with many people in favour of a dedicated school bus service rather than sending their children on a public bus or driving them to school.

“It always comes down to money, who would pay for such a service? The local authority, parents or other businesses?”

Parent Karen Handley said: “I like the idea of a bus that picks up the children and they have the same driver each day.”