School bus dismay (From Stroud News and Journal)

School bus dismay

OUTRAGED parents are demanding that Gloucestershire County Council fit seat belts to school buses after reports of children running riot.

One mother said that her daughter had told her how the driver turned a blind eye to children popping balloons and running up and down the aisle.

The council advises schools to use operators which will provide the coaches with seat belts, and to enforce their use.

Yet when it comes to the day-to-day bus run, the council does not apply its own recommendations.

As the customer, Gloucestershire County Council could insist that all buses on school routes have safety belts.

Some bus routes are subsidised by the number of pupils, which are sometimes so large that children have to stand or go three to a seat.

This has led to criticism that the council avoid insisting on safety belts for reason of economy.

The law states that all new coaches must be fitted with seat belts. However, many older models are still being used on school bus runs.

Cllr Katie Jarvis said: "No-one would let their child travel in a car where they were allowed to climb all over the seats and not wear safety belts - but this is exactly what's happening on the school bus run. Yet few parents realise this.

"I also think it's giving children a totally false impression about the safety of our roads.

"If they're allowed to mess around as they do, and not wear safety belts, it hardly gives them a true picture of just how seriously transport safety needs to be taken. And they'll be driving their own cars all too soon."

A spokeswoman from Gloucestershire County Council said: "Our policy requires any vehicle contracted to us to comply with all legal requirements and we require every entitled pupil to be provided with a seat each.

"Responsibility for wearing seat belts rests with the driver on small vehicles but on coaches there is no legal requirement to wear belts."