School buses: Pupils to miss out after law change

Some children face not having access to buses to school as the vehicles do not comply with new laws.

From January, paid-for public buses must accommodate wheelchair users, but many school buses are not equipped.

It means pupils not eligible for free school transport - who usually buy a place on board - are being told they will no longer be able to do so.

Councils said they were unaware the law applied to school buses, but the UK government said they had been informed.

It has left many parents worried about how their children will get to school safely.

Carys Jenkins' 11-year-old son Rhys does not qualify for free school transport because he lives within three miles of his secondary school, Ysgol Plasmawr in Fairwater, Cardiff.

She had hoped to pay for a seat for him because the route to school is 2.5 miles along busy roads from their home in Morganstown.

Instead, she and other parents have drawn up a rota to take their children to and from school.

"We're still a little bit anxious about what clubs they'll want to attend after school and whether we can help them get to those clubs," she said.

"Just knowing that he's on a school bus would've given us the peace of mind that he's coming home safely.

"So now that we're going to have to be dependent on other people and we're going to have to check our phones to make sure that they're getting home safely."

Angie Town has faced the same problem, with her daughter Gwen starting sixth form at Ysgol Plasmawr in September.

She told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "We had a letter from the council which was really unexpected - we thought the bus passes were actually arriving for the up and coming term.

"I don't really know what to say we were just really, really shocked...it's going to leave a lot of parents in the lurch."

Cardiff council said it believed Department for Transport (DfT) legislation - that all public bus routes must be operated by vehicles equipped to accept wheelchairs - would not apply to school bus contracts.

A spokesman said none of its school buses had the required disabled-accessible low floors and wheelchair access and the authority has now written to parents saying it will not be able to sell tickets for seats after the autumn term.

"These vehicles are, in common with all other councils in Wales, not used as pupils requiring such access invariably have a statement of special educational needs and are provided with transport according to their individual needs," he added.

The council said it would not be able to change its fleet as it would incur huge costs and it would also mean pupils being transported in buses with no seat belts and which allow standing.

BBC Wales’ Newyddion9 news programme contacted other councils as the changes could affect pupils across Wales - some authorities are still considering what the legislation means for them.

The Welsh Government said: "There has been nearly 20 years to prepare for the implementation of these regulations. This is plenty of time to have planned accordingly to allow the roll-out of new vehicles that meet the requirements.

"The intention of the regulations is to ensure that disabled people can get on and off regulated public service vehicles in safety and without unreasonable difficulty.

A DfT spokesman said: "A good bus service is absolutely essential to get children, especially those who are disabled, to school on time.

"Bus and coach accessibility regulations were first introduced nearly two decades ago, ensuring that services are fully accessible.

"We expect operators and authorities to comply and continue to work with local authorities on how they can achieve this."