§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to implement fully the provisions of the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations in respect of yellow school bus schemes; and if he will make a statement on reasons for which the pilot schemes were exempted from the regulations. [40769]
§ Ms KeebleThe Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations apply to new vehicles used on local or scheduled services where passengers are carried at separate fares. The key features of the yellow bus scheme are that it is only open to children and non-fare paying adults, that each child has a designated seat, and that the scheme is being monitored by my Department. Exemptions were given from two provisions of the regulations dealing with route and destination information, and improved seat dimensions. The exemptions will be reviewed in the light of the results of the monitoring. The vehicles comply with all other aspects of the regulations.