§ The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Alistair Darling)My Department is today publishing a research report by Steer Davies Cleave which evaluates the impacts of three yellow school bus pilots in Hebden Bridge (West Yorkshire) Runnymede (Surrey) and Wrexham (North Wales), plus a variety of other schemes around the country. I am arranging for copies of the report to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This research sets of the potential advantages of well designed dedicated bus schemes and the service features which are most highly valued by both primary and secondary school children.
Although the pilots evaluated have been relatively small in scale, there is clear evidence that dedicated bus schemes have the potential to reduce car dependency on the journey to school, the key objective of the travelling to school action plan, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and I published jointly on 17 September.
Several local authorities have already submitted, or are in the process of submitting, capital funding bids for dedicated school bus schemes through the local transport plan process. I welcome the initiative that is being taken by local authorities in considering how dedicated school buses can contribute to the overall mix of transport policies at local level. Where these schemes can meet our normal appraisal criteria, and subject to affordability constraints, my Department will give full and fair consideration of such bids. consistent with its approach to other bids for major capital funding.