Now that the idea of a dedicated national fleet of school buses seems pretty much dead and buried, it’s somewhat ironic to hear the DfES’s most junior Minister, Children’s Minister Maria Eagle, promising an additional £37m to help make school bus journeys safer for the 110,000 students who get to and from school by bus each day. This extra funding is on top of the £65m per year Northern Ireland already spends – making the province the highest spending region in the UK when it comes to school transport.
Ms Eagle also promised that, ‘By April 2009, no child will be expected to stand on a school (bus) service’. Now while Ken Livingstone and family at the GLA are prepared to spend £120m on giving most students free (bus and train with a photo Oyster card) or discounted (tube) travel, even the great Red Ken doesn’t promise them all a seat.
Unable to contain herself with the audience, Ms Eagle also promised that, ‘Parents can be reassured that travel to school by bus is safer and more environmentally friendly than car travel’. True, so why does the DfES not apply the same policy nationwide? It would be a great business opportunity for bus operators, would cut congestion and save lives.
Maybe if Jamie Oliver ditches his Range Rover and decides to fix school transport he might be able to shame the next Prime Minister into coughing up the money – about as likely as finding a humble, media-shy politician in Westminster.
The idea of a national fleet of school buses seems dead and buried, except in Norther Ireland.
