APPENDIX II
WEST YORKSHIRE PASSENGER TRANSPORT EXECUTIVE
(METRO) YELLOW BUS PILOT SCHEMES
ILKLEY
Details:
— The scheme began in September 2002.
— Two buses painted yellow serve four
primary schools, two different routes.
— Schools: All Saints, Ashlands, Ben
Rhydding, Sacred Heart.
— On average 79 children use the buses
per day (morning average 85, afternoon average 74).
— 124 children are registered to use
the buses in total.
— 40-50% bus riders formerly travelled
by car (10% by bus).
— Potentially saves around 30,000 car
journeys per year.
— Partners: The scheme is a
partnership between: Metro, Keighley and District Travel, Bradford
Council (Road Safety and Education departments). Each partner
plays a role in the different aspects of the scheme:
|
| Partner | Role
|
|
| Metro | —Co-ordination of the scheme
—Communication with parents (including promoting the scheme)
—Communication with schools
—Co-ordinating safety activities for children
—Issuing bus passes
—Monitoring and evaluation
—Funding
|
| Bradford Council | —Assisting in safety activities for children
—Advice on walking buses and supervision of boarding and alighting
|
| Keighley and District Travel | —Operating and maintaining the buses
—Recruiting and training drivers
—Operating Yellow Bus Hotline
|
|
— Yellow bus Hotline: This is a facility
for parents to relay messages to the driver. The driver has a
"register" of the children booked to use the bus each
day. If a child is not using the bus on any of the days they are
booked on (eg through illness), their parents must call the Hotline
to relay this message to the driver. Keighley and District Travel
manage the Hotline.
— Very positive feedback from parents: 80% of parents
gave the scheme an excellent quality rating.
— Main reason parents give for using the bus: to
encourage children's independence. Parents consider the most important
features of the scheme to be the "peace of mind" aspects
such as: they know who the driver is, the driver knows the children
and their routine, and the children are delivered to the school
gate.
— The majority of children said the best things
about the bus are: being able to travel with their friends, and
the friendly driver.
— Quote from head teacher at one of the schools:
"The yellow bus is part of our commitment to educate
the `whole child'. If children walk, cycle or use the yellow bus
to get to school they learn valuable personal and road safety
skills they simply cannot learn from the back seat of a car"
|
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