1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

	Bus services in Wales are the safest form of transport for scholars to and from school.
	The standards of provision of school transport throughout Wales are highly variable involving unitary authorities generally working independently.
	The challenging behaviour of scholars is now a critical safety issue on school buses and in the vicinity of schools.
	For historic reasons local authorities have acquiesced to standard start and finishing times for the majority of their schools. This maximises the requirement for school buses and maximises both cost and consequential road traffic congestion, particularly in the morning rush-hour.
	The legal basis of school transport provision is about to be changed with the proposed publication of the School Transport Bill. This represents a major opportunity to rethink the entire basis of the provision of school transport which is currently provided free to scholars living further than 2 miles (aged under 8) or 3 miles (aged over 8) from their local school.
	The Assembly Government has recently indicated a commitment to introduce a half fare bus travel scheme for young people aged between 16-18 years. Bus operators are likely to suggest that this scheme could form the basis of a half fare “Young Persons” bus card for all those aged between 5-25 years. Such a scheme could form an integral part of a new approach to assisted scholars’ transport for all pupils and students.
	Given the serious behavioural, quality and other issues surrounding scholars transport, CPT is recommending that the time is ripe for all parties involved to undertake a comprehensive review of the school working day, scholars transport arrangements and charging policies.

There is an opportunity to agree radical change for the benefit of scholars, their families and the community at large.

CPT therefore suggests that, to commence the process, the Assembly Government establishes a high level working group. The remit for the group should include a comprehensive review of all the issues and opportunities, making recommendations for a new regime governing the school working day and scholars transport.

2. INTRODUCTION

	Travelling by bus in Wales is by far the safest form of transport to and from school compared with the family car, walking or cycling.
	School buses in Wales have an enviable safety record although the media attention given when a rare incident occurs can mask, in the eyes of the public, the excellent safety record of the school bus service provision.
	The existing organisation of school buses by Wales’s twenty-two unitary authorities is carried out against the background of the 1944 Education Act. This allows free travel for children under the age 8 (if the journey is more than 2 miles to school) and over the age of 8 free travel when the journey is more than 3 or more miles to school. A number of unitary authorities adopt a more generous approach to these limitations.
	The legal basis for the organisation of school transport is about to be changed by the Government in the proposed School Transport Bill, which is now subject to consultation. This provides a new basis and the potential “opening up” of school transport services to all children, travelling any distance on a charge basis.
	There are two types of school bus services, namely, contract services controlled through the tendering process by unitary authorities and the provision of buses running as local bus services. The control of the two types of service is often carried out by separate departments within the same authority. The results can be differing tendering arrangements, quality and accessibility standards within the one authority for scholars travel.
	The provision of transport to school for pupils with special needs, in some authorities, takes place against the background of unlicensed operators working outside normal PCV, Hackney Carriage or Private Hire quality and safety controls.
	The annual cost of school transport in Wales is many times greater than the cost of subsidised local bus services. Recent cost increases in school transport services have been significantly greater than inflation due to pressures on staff wages and bus operators’ margins.

3. QUALITY & SAFETY ISSUES

	In spite of the high cost of school transport provision, the quality demanded by unitary authorities in their contracts is highly variable. Many unitary authorities merely specify minimum legal standards working on a “low grade, low cost” basis. Other authorities in-build some additional requirements on contract buses such as seat belts (e.g. Carmarthenshire). In some cases there has been a move to bespoke new school buses (yellow buses) as in Wrexham.
	A major issue however, is the lack of a common approach to safety and quality standards throughout Wales. There is a lack of a standard tender document between the unitary authorities plus the absence of formalised procedures designed to ensure higher safety standards.
	An over-riding issue has been the insistence of the majority of unitary authorities in tendering for “low grade, low quality” services supposedly to contain costs. This does not however necessarily represent “best value”. Furthermore, this approach produces in future generations an antipathy towards public transport, which does not help when trying to encourage sustainable behaviour or environmentally friendly transport policies in later life.
	The above policies also tend to see the maximisation of the number of children carried per vehicle almost exclusively with no supervision other than the driver. With the ongoing deterioration in the behaviour and disciplinary standards of scholars, this is a serious issue prejudicing safety standards. This has to be tackled jointly by all those involved now.

4. THE BUS & COACH OPERATORS’ VIEW

There is an urgent need to review, on an all Wales basis, the provision of school transport based on quality and “best value”.

A good starting point would be a common tender document for the provision of all school contracts throughout Wales. In particular the document should address the following key areas:-

a) All drivers to be subject to effective vetting and a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. The standards for accepting or rejecting drivers for schools operations needs to be standardised throughout Wales.

b) The use of double decker buses should be phased out unless trained onboard supervision can be funded and guaranteed. Otherwise the use of high capacity 69/70 seat single deck bus/coaches (3 + 2 seating) with seat belts and CCTV provision should become the norm in the next 5 years (This is because of the impossibility of drivers supervising two decks). Such vehicles can be refurbished coaches in midlife and not necessarily new vehicles.

c) All transport arrangements for scholars with special needs must be made within the normal controls and safety regulations of P.C.V. and hackney/private hire operations without exception.

d) There should be standard agreed codes of conduct documents for all groups involved or connected with school transport particularly:-

Bus Operators

Bus Drivers

Parents

School Children

Head Teachers & School Governors

Local Education Authorities

The codes of conduct will clearly need to set out the responsibilities and standards required from each group. They will further need to set out specific procedures to be implemented in the event of bad behaviour and/or dangerous occurrences so that there is consistency throughout Wales, with appropriate disciplinary measures.

	All local transport arrangements put in place should be capable of passing a national “best value” test, which recognises quality and safety standards over and above the mere basic legal requirements and cheapest price.
	In exceptional cases of bad behaviour provision should be made for escorts on school buses, possibly on the basis of a pool of trained escorts in each authority being able to target problem schools and buses.
	A national scholars pass card scheme as a means of identifying all school transport users should be introduced, following best practices schemes such as that in use at Dwr-y-felin School, Neath. This could be implemented as part of a national “Young Persons” bus card scheme based on Smartcard technology (see Section 5, para 4).
	There is a need to formalise procedures in regard to the supervision, loading and unloading of buses at all schools, by school staff with formalised communication systems between school staff, drivers, bus operators and education authorities to deal with problems immediately. There is a particular need to establish formal supervisory arrangements outside school premises where many head teachers currently do not accept responsibility.
	Prior to buses operating onto school premises there must be a proper risk assessment procedure involving the school, the Health & Safety Executive, the education authority and bus operators without exception.
	It is desirable for all unitary authorities to ensure both contract and local bus arrangements used by scholars are under the control of one department, to set a consistent and professional approach. Probably, the appropriate transportation department is better equipped for this role rather than education department staff operating outside their normal professional remit.
	There needs to be a concerted effort to persuade parents, via an education programme, to ensure that children use environmentally friendly means of transport to travel to school where feasible. Examples are walking (the “walking bus”), cycling or public transport. School Travel Plans (STP) are still the exception rather than the rule in most schools. Their implementation needs to be prioritised as part of the ongoing review of school transport arrangements.
	There should be an agreed action plan for controlling traffic in the vicinity of each school and an appropriate safety or similar committee for each school established, involving all interested parties including bus operators. Allied to this proposal there should be an agreed safety enforcement plan involving increased levels of local enforcement to deal with illegal parking and other road traffic infringements in the vicinity of each school.
	A further major issue in the organisation of school transport is the acquiescence of many unitary authorities to their local schools collectively starting and finishing at the same time. This situation maximises the requirement of school vehicles and drivers whilst maximising costs. Inadvertently in many areas this has also maximised road traffic congestion, particularly in the morning peak hours. This has lead to the system whereby in order to contain costs many authorities requisition services of lowest quality, grade and price
	To reverse this situation the National Assembly Government of Wales and the Unitary Authorities need to undertake a wide ranging review to examine opportunities for schools to work together and to stagger their starting and finishing times. Such a move would significantly reduce the requirement for school vehicles and drivers, enabling quality standards to be raised within a realistic price basis and introduce greater competition to the market. The staggering of hours is something that needs serious study and may only require 30 minutes flexibility either forward or back.
	This review also needs to examine different approaches to the school operating day. Experience in other parts of the country and Europe suggests that the continental system of school hours may have beneficial effects in raising education standards (owing to the improved attention span of children) and improved travelling and working conditions, whilst giving opportunities for proper provision of extra curriculum activities after school.

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

	The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) very much recommends that the National Assembly Government urgently constitutes a national working party consisting of all interested parties in this matter (including all the departments within the Assembly Government of Education, Transport, Environment and Social Services) the Children’s’ Commissioner the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), ATCO (Association of Transport Coordination Officers) and representatives of Teachers, Parents’, Governors’ and CPT .
	Such a committee should be convened with a view to actively pursuing unified quality standards and scholars transport arrangements throughout Wales, to be implemented nationally by individual welsh unitary authorities (including a model contract document and model codes of conduct).
	The opportunity should be taken to consider these key issues within the context of the proposed School Transport Bill giving the opportunity to review the entire policy framework of the school operating day, scholars transport, the possibility of abandoning the two and three mile rules and effectively making school transport available to all scholars on a charge basis. It also affords the opportunity to abandon the outdated “3 for 2” seating rule once and for all.

The approach needs to be radical, all embracing and led by the Assembly.

	The National Assembly of Wales’ government’s proposal to consider the implementation of a half fare policy for 16-18 year olds on local bus services is also very relevant in this context. It is likely that operators may wish to consider with the Assembly Government the possibility of introducing an all Wales Young Persons bus pass (based on Smartcard technology), giving half fares to all those aged between 5-25 years of age. Thus a new scholars regime allied to a new young persons fare regime on buses opens up opportunity for a new innovative approach to this vexed issue.
	CPT very much hopes that all parties now involved in education provision and transport organisation will seize the initiative and work together to formulate a new quality framework for scholars travel. Concurrently with a review of school working arrangements, the opportunity exists to provide an even safer and high quality service within a realistic cost base.
	CPT very much looks forward to supporting and contributing to such an initiative.

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Appendix

School A

School B

Proposed