01 May 2009
School children across the Caerphilly county borough will be able to travel to and from school in modern, safe buses thanks to new requirements put in place by the council.
A range of new measures will be introduced starting this year that will include:
- Use of single deck buses only
- Seat belts throughout
- A seat for every child
- Euro III emission standards
- A maximum vehicle age of 20 years
Longer contract durations are also being offered to local bus companies who meet these strict new requirements. The contracts will be offered for a period of five, seven or ten years based on the age of the vehicles and this will lead to savings by reducing the costs associated with annual tendering processes.
Cllr Phil Bevan, cabinet member for education, said, "Thousands of pupils are transported to schools across the county borough each day and we want to ensure that they travel in safe, modern vehicles. We also need to consider the impact this activity has on the environment so we are looking for bus operators to ensure their vehicles meet minimum emission standards too."
"The council has worked closely with local bus operators to ensure we offer our children the best possible standards of safety and efficiency and we look forward to the measures being introduced later this year," he added.
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