Minutes

Councillor Fouweather asked:

Dear Cabinet Member,

I have received complaints regarding children having to stand on home to school transport as there are not enough seats on the bus.

Do you believe that this is acceptable considering the tragic incident that happened on school transport in Bridgend some years ago?

Do you believe that all children should have an allocated seat on the bus to avoid children having to stand during the journey?

Will you now ask the bus contractor to ensure that every child has a seat a bus providing home to school transport?

Councillor Jeavons responded:

School transport is provided via purchased season tickets on existing commercial bus services and contracted home to school transport.

Where season tickets are purchased on commercial services, the authority can only request that sufficient seating capacity is available for season ticket holders. Where services are contracted, sufficient seating capacity for all passengers is a condition of the contract and will be provided at all times.

Commercial public service vehicles are licensed to carry standing passengers which may or may not be season ticket holders. In this case, the authority has no powers to insist that additional capacity is provided, which remains a commercial decision for the operator, not Newport City Council.