School bus safety to be improved (From Penarth Times)

School bus safety to be improved

CAMPAIGNERS in the Vale of Glamorgan have welcomed the recommendations of the Welsh Assembly's Education Committee on safety measures on school buses.

Twelve-year-old Stuart Cunningham-Jones died in a crash in 2002 when the bus he was travelling on veered off the road and hit a tree.

Stuart was on his way home from school to the village of Ystradowen in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Stuart's father, David Cunningham-Jones, congratulated the committee on the report but said it was "very frustrating" that it had taken more than two years to get this far.

He said: "There are still one or two grey areas.

"The recommendations do not apply to children on'hybrid' bus services - where local education authorities (LEAs) buy seats on commercial routes.

"There is still a lack of compulsory supervision on all school buses and double deckers will be phased out over a five-year period rather than immediately."

Mr Cunningham-Jones also called on the Assembly to turn the guidelines into law.

He said: "At the moment these are just just draft guidelines, they aren't compulsory or legal standards which LEAs must follow.

"Everyone has to know where they stand. It will only get resolved when the Government puts it in legislation."

The recommendations include installing CCTV cameras, fitting seatbelts for all children, banning double decker buses after 2010 and allowing only two children per seat.