Association of Transport Co-ordinating
Officers
The School Travel Schemes - Draft Bill and
Prospectus
Evidence to the HOC Education and Skills
Committee
1. The Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers
(ATCO) represents Local Authority Officers responsible for the
planning managing procuring and promoting of public transport
and School Transport , the co-ordination of passenger transport
in the public sector , and the development of sustainable alternatives.
2. ATCO welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft
bill and the implications for local authority resources, the co-ordination
of school transport with other modes of travel and the promotion
of modal shift and healthy lifestyles for children.
3. ATCO particularly welcomes the recognition that the
school run is a major contributor to traffic congestion and that
the prime objective of the bill is to reduce the dependence on
the private car for the journey to school and promote alternative,
more sustainable, modes of travel.
4. ATCO welcomes the flexible approach to provision to
be allowed in trial areas. The distance based criteria set in
the current legislation is inequitable and divisive and should
be capable of amendment to reflect local circumstances. Whilst
the principle of a mileage-based formula is considered too rigid
the guarantee of free, appropriate, transport should be retained
for those pupils with particular difficulties in accessing education.
5. Any new school travel scheme should consider the needs
of all pupils. However, providing what amounts to an individual
travel plan specific to each pupil must be properly resourced
and also be integrated with other transport provision.
- The proposed objectives of the scheme represent a step
change in the method of providing school transport. The prime
concern that ATCO would raise is that the existing budgets for
school transport should be retained; and the introduction of a
scheme should not be seen as a method to reduce the overall spending
in this area. ATCO would welcome the legislation requiring any
savings made by more innovative provision to be re-invested in
greater development of the objectives of the scheme.
- ATCO is of the opinion that major efficiency gains
can only be made by co-ordination of school opening and closing
hours as part of integrated approach to delivering school transport
within a scheme. This is something that the proposed legislation
fails to consider and given the voluntary nature of the trial
schemes it should be provided as a discretionary power in the
bill.
8 The principle that affordable fares could be charged to all
children is to be welcomed in principle; however, it is important
to ensure pupils travelling on commercial bus services are treated
equitably and not disadvantaged compared to those on subsidised
transport. The legislation should also make clear what steps will
be taken to protect low income and other vulnerable groups. There
is a need to link this with the provision of concessionary bus
travel for all children and students up to 19 years . ATCO sees
the advantage in a national standard for this to ensure consistency
between all LEAs.
9. The provision of transport for pupils who cannot access
the nearest school should be retained; an extension of this to
those pupils whose parents exercise the right to access alternative
schools through parental choice should not be allowed due the
additional resources involved.
10 ATCO recognises the simplification that would result
in providing post 16 education transport including to FE colleges
etc. under similar eligibility criteria to other pupils. Clarification
is needed in respect of what constitutes the nearest school /
FE college in terms of courses with multiple subject choices such
as A levels. Any increase to the statutory level of provision
will require funding to be provided.
11 The retention of a minimum level of provision should
be decided locally taking into account the geography and demographics
of school catchment areas.
12 The principle of providing transport to denominational
schools is something that ATCO recognises as a follow on from
the admissions policies set out in the Educations Acts. Where
transport is to be provided clear and transparent criteria for
eligibility should be set in the legislation and the right of
parents to seek a faith based approach to schooling be subject
to a high standard of proof of faith involvement. In respect of
Welsh medium education the legislation should continue to require
transport to the nearest Welsh language provision to be made with
this clearly defined ,as the difference between full Welsh language
schools and mixed language schools offering a Welsh language stream
is considerable in terms of culture and the distance to be travelled.
ATCO believes that this provision should be to the nearest Welsh
language education, irrespective of school status.
13 As noted in paragraph 10 the key matter in the area
of post 16 education is the need to clarify basic eligibility.
This will become more important given the focus on improving participation
rates in the post 16-education sector
14 ATCO considers that the start dates for trial schemes
to be realistic, subject to adequate resources being available
to manage the change. The matter of resources is critical given
the length of time the existing system for education transport
has been in being with local authority officers familiar with
the current requirements. New requirements and more flexible approaches
will invariably need additional personnel
15 The proposed changes will allow local authorities an
appropriate degree of flexibility to run local travel schemes.
The focus should be on encouraging schemes that integrate with
other transport services and with other initiatives such as safer
routes to school and road safety education for pupils.
16 The principles of an innovative travel scheme will need
to draw on the ability to co-ordinate the travel of several schools
to ensure that economies of scale can be generated to finance
new initiatives. The major handicap is the inability of LEAs to
control school opening and closing times to allow more effective
use of current transport resources. Whilst ATCO believes that
it is essential for this to be addressed as part of the bill..
17. The guidance for LEAs seeking pilot scheme is clear
in terms of the information needed. However, the guidance fails
to recognise the resource issues that affect local authorities
seeking pilot scheme status and the current trend for non-LEA
officers to be the procurers of school transport. ATCO is not
recommending that the role of the LEA in school transport be diminished
given the statutory obligations that fall on LEAs to ensure attendance
at school but the bill should acknowledge the role of non-LEA
staff i.e. transport coordination officers in the provision of
school transport..
18. The application form for pilot scheme status is clear.
The matching of the timescales to other transport and education
related targets are considered by ATCO to be fundamental to the
success of any schemes proposed. In particular the submission
of the next 5-year Local Transport Plan in July 2005 should be
seen as a key date given this document's role in setting medium
term transport strategies. The emphasis in the new LTPs on accessibility
to essential services including education should be a key driver
in shaping new school transport strategies.
19. The aim of obtaining best value from the £2 billion
spent on school transport annually can best be achieved by the
setting of flexible and meaningful local targets that reflect
each LEAs circumstances. Many local transport authorities have
integrated transport units in place and achieve cost effective
provision of school transport within existing constraints. The
key to greater efficiency lies in staggering school hours to enable
better use to be made of existing transport resources. ATCO sees
fundamental benefits in linking the issues surrounding school
travel to the LTP process and the targets for accessibility to
be introduced in the new round of LTP submissions which would
ensure that LEAs and local transport authorities act with a common
purpose.
20. The power for Ministers or the National Assembly Government
of Wales to intervene should not be continued. The Education Acts
place a duty on local authorities to ensure attendance at school
that should be enshrined into this bill. Sanction would then be
for individual parents to pursue against the LEA against the background
of local circumstances, something that the bill is designed to
promote as the key determinant of school travel provision.
- ATCO considers that, subject to the satisfactory working
of the pilot schemes being established, the bill should enable
other LEAs to implement change at their discretion in line with
their own local circumstances without the need for further primary
legislation.
22 Minor changes to transport legislation proposed in
the pilot areas will also be applied generally through a Regulatory
Reform Order . The opportunity should be taken to make the provision
of bus services for school children as attractive as possible
to bus operators and L A s .Specifically Bus Service Operators
(Fuel Duty Rebate )Grant should be paid on all services where
children pay a separate fare to school and the 3 children to a
double seat concession should be revoked in order to promote more
comfort and reduce behaviour problems .
For further information please contact :-
Tim Davies, ATCO Chairman, telephone 01392 244
Lee White ATCO External Affairs Officer telephone 01926
735671
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