The bill for damage to school buses caused by Bradford pupils has plummeted from £86,000 to £4,000 in two years.

The dramatic 95 per cent fall in costs to First Bradford, who run the services, has been attributed to a partnership scheme set up in 2006 between the bus company, passenger transport authority Metro and the schools themselves.

It includes safety education in schools and encouraging the pupils to respect the buses and their drivers.

An awards scheme has also been set up by Metro to reward pupils for good behaviour on buses.

Schools liaison officer at First Bradford Phil Thornton said: “It’s been a good couple of years and its been mainly due to our partnership approach with the police, Metro and other organisations, working together to encourage safe and sensible behaviour.

“From talking to young people the message has got out there. “We now just get the odd misbehaviour, it is not the norm any more.”

He said pupils are educated from the age of ten that abuse of the school bus system will not be tolerated.

“They can face fines, court action and criminal convictions,” he said. “But we don’t have to do that very often. The overwhelming majority of students behave in a decent and sensible way.

“The days when we had incidents on every bus every day have gone.”

In 2007 the Telegraph & Argus reported vandalism incidents on school buses had spiralled to 41 incidents in 79 days.

The article featured a photograph of pupils on a bus to St Bede’s Catholic Grammar School in Highgate, Heaton, spitting from a window.

Mr Thornton said: “St Bede’s is by far our most improved school.”

Metro’s SAFEMark scheme rewards youngsters for good behaviour on the buses and St Bede’s pupils are due to be presented with an award this week.

Chairman of the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority Metro, Councillor Chris Greaves said: “I think a lot of the improvement is down to SAFEMark. There’s an awful lot of effort being put into the project.