West Yorkshire Passenger
Transport Executive (Metro)
Yellow Bus Scheme
1. Background
1.1 In
the past 10 years the proportion of school journeys made by car
has nearly doubled from 16% to 29%. Nationally one in five cars
on urban roads at 8:50am (during term time) is used for taking
children to school. The average journey length has also increased
from 1.1 to 1.3 miles for five to ten year olds and 2.3 to 3.1
miles for 11-16 year olds.[1]
2. Vision
2.1 Metro
recognised that a step change was required in the provision of
school transport not only to tackle congestion problems but also
to develop the next generation of public transport users and to
improve education attainment through improved attendance. Metro
recognised that the provision of school transport is a cross cutting
issue affecting both transport issues (congestion, safety) and
education issues (behaviour, reduced truancy, increased readiness
to learn, school start times) as well as social inclusion issues.
2.2 Metro
therefore developed a vision for Education Transport in 2000.
"To work in partnership to provide an attractive,
high quality home-to-school bus service designed to:
· Reduce
car dependence: and
· Encourage
bus use into adult life."
2.3 The
key features of the yellow bus vision are as follows;
· Dedicated,
highly visible vehicles
· Highly
trained and dedicated drivers
· Allocated
seat for each child
· Localised
pick up points
· Register
of children using the bus
· Hotline
for parents
· Parental
assistance with supervision
· On
vehicle entertainment
· Seatbelts
· Highway
infrastructure measures around schools to facilitate school buses
3. Pilot Schemes
3.1 Metro
undertook its first pilot schemes in Hebden Bridge and Ilkley
in 2002. Details of these first schemes are attached as Appendix
I and II. These schemes have been extremely successful with mode
shift, from car to bus, of over 60% in both schemes. Metro currently
has 11 pilot schemes underway. (See attached Appendix III)
4 Best
Value Review
4.1 Metro
undertook a Best Value Review of Education Transport during 2002
in order to test its vision for the future delivery of school
transport provision. The results indicated support for the vision
and the continued development of the yellow bus pilot schemes.
5 Major
Scheme Bid
5.1 In
July 2003, Metro prepared and submitted an Annex E bid for capital
funding to implement a Yellow Bus scheme within West Yorkshire
as part of the Local Transport Plan process. Metro ensured that
discussion and workshops took place with a range of partners and
stakeholders including the DfT, the DfES, the ODPM, GOYH, Setpoint,
LEAs, Bus Operators and vehicle Manufacturers. The DfT announced
in December 2003 that Metro had been successful in its bid for
funding of £18.7m. The scheme will enable Metro to work in
partnership with the five Districts in West Yorkshire to procure,
set up and administer a fleet of 150 Yellow Buses that will provide
home to school transport for pupils. In addition the fleet will
be available for all schools to use for education, training and
sporting/leisure travel outside the peak home to school travel
times.
5.2 The
implementation of the Yellow Bus scheme will be in three phases
with 30 vehicles operational in 2004/05, and 60 in each of the
subsequent two years. The following features will be included
in the scheme:
· DDA
compliant with access for those with mobility impairments;
· Two
home-to-school trips in the morning and evening;
· Maximisation
of vehicle use outside of school run times for children involved
in education, training and sporting/leisure activities;
· Highly
visible vehicle to make other road users aware that the vehicles
are used exclusively by children;
· Dedicated,
trained drivers who will know the children and monitor boarding
and supervise appropriate behaviour;
· Allocated
seats so that no children have to stand;
· Seat
belts and passive restraints to ensure safety is not compromised;
· Call
centre to provide point of contact for those requiring/not requiring
the service and ensure all children are accounted for;
· A
register of children on the vehicle;
· Complementary
highway infrastructure to enable safe and secure boarding;
· Localised
pick-up points; and
· Proactive
marketing promotion through partnership.
5.3 The
initial pilot studies at Hebden Bridge and Ilkley have demonstrated
how addressing the issues that prevent parents and children from
using public transport can have a major impact on mode choice.
This has continued to be demonstrated with the new pilots introduced
this year as well as helping to tackle the issues of poor behaviour
on public transport and absenteeism from school. Metro is confident
that the roll out of the yellow bus scheme will continue to deliver
the benefits on a much bigger scale across West Yorkshire.
Sheena Pickersgill
Director of Corporate Services
Metro
APPENDIX I
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (Metro)
Yellow Bus Pilot Schemes
Hebden Bridge
Details
§ The
scheme began in February 2002.
§ 2
American Yellow Buses serve 7 primary schools, 2 different routes.
§ Schools:
Central Street, Colden, Hebden Royd, Heptonstall, Old Town, Riverside,
Stubbings
§ On
average 68 children use the buses per day (morning average 75,
afternoon average 61).
§ 105
children are registered to use the bus in total.
§ 50-60
% bus riders formerly travelled by car (20% by bus).
§ Potentially
saves around 25,000 car journeys per year.
§ Partners:
The scheme is a partnership between: Metro, First, Calderdale
MBC (Safe Routes to School) and the Countryside Agency (Rural
Transport Partnership). Each partner plays a role in the different
aspects of the scheme:
| Partner
| Role
|
| Metro |
§ Co-ordination between partners
§ Communication with parents (including promoting the scheme)
§ Issuing bus passes
§ Monitoring and evaluation
§ Funding
|
| Calderdale MBC
| § Coordinating safety activities for children
§ Communication with schools
§ Advice on walking buses and supervision of boarding and alighting
§ Funding
|
| First Calderline
| § Operating and maintaining the buses
§ Recruiting and training drivers
§ Operating Yellow Bus control
|
| Countryside Agency
| § Funding
|
§ Yellow
bus Control: 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 (e.g. through illness), their parents must call the 'Control'
to relay this message to the driver. First Calderline manages
the 'Control'.
Feedback:
§ 15%
to 60% reduction in school gate congestion.
§ Positive
feedback from parents, 80% extremely pleased with the quality
of the service.
§ Main
reasons parents give for using the bus: Concern for the environment;
Convenience; Encourage child to develop independence.
§ Quote
from parental feedback form:
"…I
think the service is run brilliantly…it saves me using the
car twice a day and getting stuck in all the busy traffic…gives
my daughter some independence… I know she is taken to and
from school safely…the driver for bus B is really friendly
and helpful"
APPENDIX II
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (Metro)
Yellow Bus Pilot Schemes
Ilkley
Details
§ The
scheme began in September 2002
§ 2
buses painted yellow serve 4 primary schools, 2 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
§ Coordinating 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 (e.g. through illness), their parents must call the Hotline
to relay this message to the driver. Keighley and District Travel
manage the Hotline.
Feedback:
§ 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"
APPENDIX III
West Yorkshire Passenger
Transport Executive (Metro)
Current Yellow Bus Pilot Schemes
| District | Calderdale
| Bradford | Kirklees
| Kirklees | Leeds
| Calderdale | Kirklees
| Leeds | Leeds
|
| Area | Hebden Bridge
| Ilkley |
Rawthorpe |
Huddersfield |
Garforth | Brighouse
| Bradley |
· Seacroft
· East End Park
· Hyde Park
| Garforth |
| Number of Schools
| 6 Primaries
| 4 Primaries
| 1 Primary
| 1 Secondary
| 1 Secondary
| 1 Primary |
1 Primary | 3 Secondary
| 6 Primaries
|
| Schools
| · Central Street
· Colden
· Hebden Royd
· Heptonstall
· Old Town
· Riverside
| · All Saints CE
· Ashlands
· Ben Rhydding
· Sacred Heart
| · Rawthorpe
| · Colne Valley High
| · Garforth Community College
| · St Joseph's Primary
| · Bradley Primary
| · Mount St Mary's
· St Michael's
· Parkland Girls High
| · Garforth Infants
· West Garforth
· St Benedicts
· Ninelands
· Garforth Green Lane
· East Garforth
|
| Number of buses
| 2 | 2
| 1 | 6
| 2 | 1
| 1 | 6
| 2 |
| Number of children
| 112 | 130
| 40 | 360
| 87 | 49
| 30 | 400
| 24 |
| Approx Mode shift*
| 61% | 68%
| 24% | 28%
| Awaiting results
| 91% | 27%
| Awaiting results
| 71% |
*latest available figures
1 DETR Best Practice for increasing bus use for journeys
to school Back
| 
