Bus experiment dropped

Nov 30 2007 by Neil Mckay, The Journal

AN experiment using yellow school buses will not be extended after education bosses admitted the effect on pupil behaviour was marginal, despite the use of CCTV cameras.

But officers at Durham County Council continued to refute claims by private transport operators that the three-year bus trial was “a waste of public money”.

In 2004, the council introduced three 68-seat yellow buses operated by its own staff and complete with CCTV cameras, and allocated seats for each pupil, to transport students to and from Belmont Comprehensive School, Durham.

The decision angered the private bus operators’ professional body, the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT), because the Belmont contract ousted one of its members.

Councillors were told yesterday by corporate director John Richardson that during the first two years of the three-year experiment, 11 short-term bans were issued to pupils on the three yellow buses for unruly behaviour, compared to 19 similar bans on pupils travelling on five other contract buses serving Belmont.

But Mr Richardson admitted: “The pilot study has demonstrated that the operation of yellow buses has had a marginal benefit impact on pupil behaviour.

“However, these benefits were shown to be deliverable at a significantly higher cost than the contract services they replaced.” Mr Richardson effectively confirmed what the CPT told The Journal in September this year when its regional manager, David Holding, said: “CPT believed that the yellow buses were and are far more expensive to run than the previous contract and that public money is being, and will continue to be, wasted on this project, at the expense of small local businesses.”

The figures obtained show an annual operating cost for the yellow buses of £104,335 compared with a previous contract cost understood to be about £61,000 – an increase of £43,000.

Cabinet members were told yesterday that the yellow buses were costing £173 per vehicle per day, £53 more each school day than the private contractor they replaced was charging.

But they will continue to run on another school route in County Durham after Cabinet members were told some private operators had submitted tenders higher than the cost of running the yellow buses.

Coun Neil Foster, Cabinet member in charge of education when the pilot was launched, said: “Features such as CCTV and allocated seats for pupils do help improve safety and behaviour.

“Another feature not factored into the cost is the advertising.

“When these buses are seen on the road, they promote a strong image of Durham County Council.”