Yellow bus school run scheme hailed a success (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Yellow bus school run scheme hailed a success

12:46pm Thursday 2nd July 2009 in

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School-run car journeys at some Bradford primaries have been cut by two-thirds – thanks to the success of the yellow bus scheme, transport chiefs have revealed.

An average of 64 per cent of primary school children who now use Metro’s Mybus scheme used to travel to and from school by car.

A total of 620 primary pupils and 1,550 secondary pupils in the Bradford area use the yellow buses daily.

MyBus began pilot services in Ilkley and Hebden Bridge in 2002 and the scheme now serves more than 10,000 pupils at 130 schools in West Yorkshire.

According to Metro, the West York-shire Integrated Transport Authority, about 465,000,000 miles of car travel have been saved across West Yorkshire due to the high uptake.

The buses are driven by the same driver each day who carries a register containing details of pick-up points for passengers. If a child fails to show up at their usual pick-up point, parents are contacted.

As well as reducing congestion, Metro said the bus scheme improves attendance rates and pupil behaviour.

Metro chairman Ryk Downes said: “The scheme has proved popular with pupils, teachers and parents, though there are certain schools where the scheme is not meeting its aims.”

The service is being withdrawn from seven schools from the end of this month as it has proved uneconomic. They are Eldwick Primary, Bingley; St Joseph’s Primary, Otley; St Anthony’s Primary, Clayton; Clayton Primary; St Peter and St Paul RC Primary, Yeadon; St Margaret’s Primary and West End Primary, Horsforth.