School pupils should benefit from safer and greener buses when they return to school after Caerphilly County Borough Council laid down new rules for school transport.
From September pupils across the Caerphilly county borough will travel on single deck buses fitted with seatbelts and will be guaranteed a seat.
Cllr Colin Mann, deputy leader of council said, “The way the council’s procurement team arranged this new contract means we are leading the way in Wales. We have worked closely with local bus operators to ensure we offer our children the best possible standards of safety.
Thousands of pupils use school buses every day and we want to make sure they benefit from safe, modern vehicles. We also need to consider the impact these journeys have on the environment, so our bus operators will have a duty to ensure their vehicles meet minimum emission standards.”
As part of the changes longer contracts are being offered to bus companies which meet the new requirements. The contracts will be offered for a period of five, seven or ten years based on the age of the vehicles.
The council argues this will lead to savings for the local authority.
