Feedback from David Blunkett and fellow Yellow Bus Commissioners on their visit to Metro’s My bus school bus scheme on Monday 7 January has been very positive.
They described the visit, which was their first opportunity to meet junior school pupils and teachers involved with a yellow bus scheme, as ‘excellent’. Mr Blunkett also praised the enthusiasm and dedication of Metro staff involved with My bus, which now transport over 9,000 West Yorkshire pupils to and from school every day.
Metro arranged for Mr Blunkett and members of First’s Yellow Bus Commission to come to St Theresa’s Primary School in Leeds, which is served by two My bus buses, to find out pupils’ and teachers’ views, and experience the UK’s largest yellow bus scheme in action.
“As My bus is five times the size of any other yellow bus scheme in the country, and has achieved significant successes, we thought it was essential that Mr Blunkett and the other members of the Yellow Bus Commission visit West Yorkshire to experience it first-hand,” said Metro Chairman Councillor Ryk Downes.
“At a meeting with the commissioners, after their trip to St Theresa’s, we had the opportunity to tell them about how Metro had developed My bus , and about the results we have achieved,” he added.
“We consider the fact that almost 70% of primary school pupils and 20% of secondary pupils using My bus were formerly taken to school by car, as extremely positive in terms of reducing congestion and improving safety, but there are other benefits such as improved pupil behaviour and better punctuality and attendance, which we were able to demonstrate to the Commission members.
“I am confident that Mr Blunkett and his colleagues went away with a wealth of information to feed into their report on the future of yellow buses nationally.”
Bus operator First set up the Yellow Bus Commission in July to investigate the future of home to school transport and the potential for expansion of yellow school bus schemes such as My bus. The Commission is expected to report in Spring 2008.
