West Yorkshire parents urged to help shape future of school buses
The WYCA has arrangements in place for about 328 buses which carry on average up to 20,000 pupils per day.This includes 28 services that carry about 1,000 children to primary schools, the majority of which were introduced under the government-backed Mybus scheme.These costs typically increase year on year, having risen from £15.96m in 2022/23 to £16.50m in 2023/24 and £18.99m in 2024/25.
In February, two school bus services which faced being scrapped as part of Bradford Council's efforts to cut costs were given funding to keep them running well into 2026.Bradford Council had proposed ending the routes to Bingley Grammar School and St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College in September in a bid to save about £500,000 a year.But following criticism from parents, the council and the WYCA confirmed they would continue to fund the services until "at least the summer of 2026".
School bus services in West Yorkshire were last reviewed by the WYCA Transport Committee in July 2019. Since then, the WYCA said there had been "significant change", including the impact of Covid-19 on the bus network and the decision taken in March 2024 by Brabin to implement bus franchising across the region.The programme for the implementation of bus franchising will see the first bus services through this new operating model start at the end of March 2027. This will include school bus services, and the contracts for delivery of the first phase of services will be issued for operators to bid against in October 2025.
'Better-connected region'
Transport Committee chair Susan Hinchcliffe said: "The region's school bus policy is currently a mix of various agreements with different council areas – the result has been that parts of our region have differing levels of support from the Combined Authority."That is why it is important to create a new school bus strategy for the whole of West Yorkshire, which will help us with our plans to create a better-connected region."Brabin said: "It is vital for us to make sure our children and young people have safe, secure and prompt routes to and from school."That is why I am urging as many parents, students and schools as possible to get in touch and take part in the consultation when it starts at the end of April – so we can create a new, region-wide travel to school strategy that best serves West Yorkshire."
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
12 hours ago
- Spectator
The decline and fall of TfL
Don't get me wrong: London's transport system is still one of the best in the world. I'd sooner have a backstreet dentist with jittery hands pry my right molar out with a rusty wrench than wait for a bus in Naples or attempt to understand the New York subway map. But that doesn't mean Transport for London is without fault. The mere thought of the Central line during rush hour is enough to turn the sanest of commuters into a babbling, dribbling, catatonic mess. TfL customers are dissatisfied: staff are nowhere to be seen; criminals use the Tube network like a labyrinthian tunnel system, evading prosecution at every turn; and strikes and service disruptions have driven a wedge between commuters and transport workers. But it's not just the Tube. There were 70,000 bus-related complaints made to TfL in the past year – and with buses zooming around London at an average speed of 9.1mph, I'm not surprised. The problem is that we know it can be better. For a while, TfL was good. In fact, it was great. Growing up in the capital, I used TfL like an aged Hollywood star uses Ozempic: religiously and with abandon. By the age of 11, I was confident navigating the entirety of the Underground map. (Excluding the District and Circle line; for some reason I would always end up in Richmond regardless of my destination, like the commuter equivalent of Groundhog Day.) My memories of a happier TfL coincide with my memories of a happier London. This was the era of the Olympics, of the Diamond Jubilee, of Boris Johnson being nothing more than a bumbling mayor who gets stuck on zip wires and knocks over Japanese schoolchildren in games of rugby. This was London before Covid, before rampant phone thievery, before the kinds of interest rates and rental prices that make you want to run your head through a phone box window. This is not to say that London was faultless back then, but it felt a lot more optimistic. Perhaps this is a Panglossian view of London's past – I'm a sucker for nostalgia – but it's impossible to deny that London's reputation has fallen, as has the reputation of its transport system. Don't believe me? Let me take you through an average journey on the Northern line (which isn't even the worst line in London). Your Tube has stopped somewhere between Borough and London Bridge. It's a gazillion degrees in this carriage. Even your toenails are sweating. A woman is coughing so hard that you think her lung might flop out on to the scum-stained floor at any moment. A man to your left is crooning the words to 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin. You'd ask him to stop, but he has the sort of vacant stare that only murderers and estate agents possess – and he doesn't look like he sells houses. An old lady has keeled over on the floor from heat exhaustion while another commuter fans her with a copy of the Big Issue. A random man shouts: 'Somebody call an ambulance!' And then a more sensible passenger says: 'With what phone signal?' The Tube moves again, and a sliver of breathable air whooshes past your face. A voice from above says something incomprehensible over the Tannoy system: 'Crshhhh… incident at… crshhhh… all lines running at a reduced… crshhhh… thank you… crshhhh… if you see something suspicious…' The carriage stinks. Someone is eating a tin of herring with their hands. (Eating smelly foods on the Tube should be illegal.) It's 1 p.m., but the drunks are already out in full force. There are half a dozen people smashed out of their minds on BuzzBallz and other pre-mixed cocktail cans. They're all wearing cowboy hats, and one of them, their inebriated leader, announces to the carriage: 'We're going to a concert! Who wants to shag me?' This is followed by a depressing silence. You get off at Angel. The escalator is broken, so you risk an asthma attack and climb the stairs. Years from now, there will be a three-part Netflix documentary series about the first man to summit every Tube station staircase in one day without the aid of supplementary oxygen. He will receive an OBE. At the barriers, you tap your card to exit. To your right, eight young men smash through the gates without paying for their fares. A man in his sixties tries to stop them, but he's swiftly kicked over and called a 'coffin dodger' by the fare evaders. The TfL staff look at the scene with gormless expressions before going back to their phones. You think about chasing the young men down, but like everyone else, you're too scared. I could carry on, but I won't. You get the point: TfL is a mess. And it's getting worse. If you're still unconvinced, then here are a few statistics to persuade you. Let's look at violence first: in the year to 31 October 2023, British Transport Police recorded 3,542 violent offences on the Underground – that's a 75 per cent increase from 2020. BTP also recorded 909 sexual offences, excluding rape, in that same period. This was also an increase from previous years. City Hall has claimed that safety on public transport is a concern and a priority for Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London. While I'm sure that's true (sarcasm heavily implied), I think he and the rest of his team ought to be doing more than putting up a few flimsy posters about violence and sexual harassment. TfL also claims that bus travel is the safest form of transport in London. But notice the wording here: 'Safest.' No one is saying that bus travel is safe. In the year ending March 2024, there were 18,770 bus-related crimes reported in the capital. It might be better than the Tube, but it's hardly a reassuring figure. And there's more. Almost one in 20 people fare-dodge on the Underground. This costs TfL – and the taxpayer – £190 million a year. That financial burden is nearly a 50 per cent increase from two years ago. Combine all of this with strikes, delays, a lack of air conditioning on some of the hottest lines, staff ineptitude and increasingly dirty conditions, and you've got a TfL that's on its knees. Again, I want to stress that London's transport system is a far cry from being 'one of the worst' in the world. But it is the most expensive in the world. And it's not as good as it used to be – no PR campaign can change that fact. There's so much to complain about in London right now. Slamming London is all the craze on social media: 'London has fallen.' 'London is doomed.' 'RIP London.' But the transport system is still surprisingly one of the capital's greatest attributes. The question is: how long will it stay that way? If the mayor and the rest of his team don't pull their fingers out soon, we can wave goodbye to that world-famous bar and circle and all that it has come to represent. I don't want to slate TfL for the sake of it. I do think our transport system can get better. But it won't happen without those in power doing something about it. And they better do it soon; I'm getting tired of forking out money that I don't have on Ubers that I don't want just because a bunch of spotty teenagers are mugging the entirety of the Northern line for a bit of Friday fun.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's Scouts celebrate post-Covid return at AJ25 camp
For a whole week this summer, around 1000 Scouts – and another 200 staff – have been able to experience a whole range of activities and events as part of the Auchengillan Jamboree 2025, or AJ25 for short. The last time this happened was 2017, which might as well be a lifetime ago given everything that has happened since. Jamborees are supposed to happen every four years because that's how long young people spend in Scouts, meaning that as many as possible get to experience at least one big, celebratory, week-long camp. For many, it is a rite of passage. But Covid made such things impossible in 2021, which means that it has been eight long years since the Scouts from across the country and beyond have been able to gather at Auchengillan like this. AJ25 isn't just a summer camp; it's a reunion. The event is being led by Stephen 'Titch' MacMillan, who leads the Kelvin Valley district groups. He has been involved with the Scouts for more than thirty years, a fact I can confirm personally because he was my leader back when I was a member in my teens. As we wander round the site, visiting the different camping areas and checking out some of the available activities, he tells me that he had to deliver the opening address, and was so caught up in everything that he forgot to introduce himself. It doesn't seem to have mattered, however, because it seems like every few steps another young Scout is stopping to say hello to him. What was his message to the kids who have come here, many of them spending their first extended period away from their families? 'Try something new. Try something scary. Swap a badge or neckie.' Participants have been able to try various activities including watersports. (Image: Scouts Scotland) It seems to sum up scouting rather nicely – it's about experiencing things that you wouldn't otherwise encounter, and interacting with people you might never otherwise meet. During my short visit I got talking to people from Denmark and Northern Ireland, but there are others here from Ireland, Sweden and Germany. In previous years, Jamborees have been even more international, but everyone was affected in the same way by Covid, so I'm told that most countries have concentrated on a domestic summer camp for their first year back in the post-pandemic era. The hope is that in 2029, an even wider range of nationalities will be represented. And they'll certainly be made to feel welcome, as one group of German Scouts will be able to confirm. They hadn't planned to attend the Jamboree, instead coming to Scotland to complete the West Highland Way – but when they were caught in Storm Floris and their gear was damaged, they needed help. Leaning on an old friendship formed through the Scouts network, their leader got in touch with a contact here in Scotland, and a few phone calls, a bus ride and a bit of a hike later the young people were walking into AJ25 where they were soon 'adopted' by one of the local groups. A little café is being operated at the heart of the site throughout the Jamboree, providing the kids – and the adults – with somewhere to relax for a while with some chips, a drink, or one of many excellent-looking cakes. Before I left I sat there for a little while, looking out of a panoramic window with views right across Auchengillan, and saw my own son wandering off towards his campsite with a few other Scouts, none of them seemed to be from his group. It got me thinking. Obviously, the range of activities is great, and lots of people have found really valuable hobbies and even careers out of those kinds of experiences. Maybe it's just me, but I suspect that anyone who has enjoyed a really good day out on a kayak feels like maybe they should have been an outdoor instructor. Getting to meet peers from other places, including other countries, is also hugely important for young people, and some of those connections – as proven by the camp's unexpected German visitors – can last a lifetime. Scouts are encouraged to swap badges and neckies with those from other groups and other countries. (Image: James McEnaney) Coping with the inevitable challenges and set-backs (including but not limited to the Scottish weather and its resident midge population) and getting on with things anyway is vital for developing resilience. But watching my boy from a distance, I realised that perhaps the most important benefit of this kind of environment is that young people are given the space to exist on their own terms and, as a result, start to figure out who they really are. Those periods in between activities and mealtimes and whole-camp events, when they have to choose what to do and who (if anyone) to do it with, and aren't expected to ask permission or wait for a register to be ticked, allow them to really be free in a way that is only possible in a few special places. Near the centre of Auchengillan there is a little mound with a dozen or so mature trees and a structure that I always assumed – without ever checking – is some sort of water tank. When I was young I liked to go and stand there, leaning against the concrete, to look out over the place that was, and it turns out still is, so strongly associated with some of my best memories. Before I left, I went there again, looking out over the clusters of tents and Scouts dotted right across the site and listening as bursts of noise rolled in and out from all directions. It was the sound of kids who were enjoying being kids, and I'm not sure there's anything better. As a parent, and a lapsed Scout, I am enormously grateful to the people who make all this possible. AJ25 had a festival feel with music on late into the night. (Image: Scouts Scotland) I know what being in the Scouts, and coming to events like this, did for me. So many of the key things in my life – going to Australia at fifteen and meeting Aboriginal people, setting off on an unplanned solo motorcycle trip after university, blagging my way into reporting on Bernie Sanders' New York primary campaign, and even becoming a full-time journalist today – were made possible, at least in part, by the confidence I gained during my time in a neckie and woggle. Yes, things might get difficult, and something will probably go wrong – but thanks to the Scouts, that has never been a reason not to try. And now that cycle can continue for my own son, and the 1000 other young people for whom summer 2025 has been so special.
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland small-group tours firm Rabbie's eyes global growth
Hazel Rickett Job title: CEO at Rabbie's Tours. What is your business called? Rabbie's Tours Where is it based? Headquarters in Edinburgh. Departure points across the UK and Europe including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aviemore, Aberdeen, Dublin, Killarney, London, Bristol, Bath, Manchester, Rome, Milan, Catania, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon and Zurich. What does it produce/do? Small group tours guided by story tellers To whom does it sell? Our typical guest is curious and open-minded, they don't just want to see a place - they want to understand it, meet the people, hear their stories, and come home with experiences worth sharing. Eighty percent of our guests are international and mainly from North America, Australia and Europe. What is its turnover? Turning over approximately £30 million a year. How many employees? 297 employees. What attracted you to your current role? I've always loved travel, and being part of a team that's passionate about creating amazing experiences just felt like the perfect fit. What were you doing before? I am a trained botanist so don't ask me how I ended up as a Rabbie's driver guide! I was one of the first driver guides hired at Rabbie's, which I think has helped me to reach the point I am at today. Before that I had been travelling and working in various places around the world from a cloud forest in Costa Rica to an insurance firm in Australia! What do you least enjoy? Some of the admin - no surprise there. But even that can be weirdly rewarding sometimes! What do you consider to be the main successes of the business? Definitely our tours, our team, and the positive culture we've built. There's a real pride in how we look after each other, our communities and our customers. What are your ambitions for the firm? I'd love to see Rabbie's small-group tours running all over the world, helping people discover the hidden gems and local stories that make travel so special. What are the challenges facing the sector and market, and what could be done to overcome or address these? I'd love to have a magic wand and make the world a more peaceful place. Global uncertainty can impact travel, but all we can do is stay adaptable, keep looking after our people and customers, and focus on what we do best. Read more What single thing would most help? Having that magic wand! But short of that, a bit more certainty in the world wouldn't go amiss, it'd make planning (and sleeping!) a whole lot easier. What is the most valuable lesson you have learned? Be true to yourself, trust your instincts, and stick to your values. What was your best moment? Taking my first tour and seeing that the customers had actually enjoyed it! And being asked by Robin [Worsnop], the founder, to lead the company in 2013 was a real honour. What has been your most challenging moment in life or business? Navigating the company through the Covid pandemic. How do you relax? I run, garden, swim in the sea, and spend time with friends and family. What phrase or quotation has inspired you the most? Live for the day! What is the best book (fiction or non-fiction) you have ever read? Why is it the best? The Nightingale. It's beautifully written and a powerful reminder of the strength and resilience of women in the toughest of times. Where do you find yourself most at ease? When I'm out in nature or surrounded by friends and family. If you weren't in your current role, what job would you most fancy? Something outdoors and adventurous - anything that lets me explore new places and meet interesting people. What countries have you most enjoyed travelling to, for business or leisure, and why? I loved travelling around South and Central America, the wildlife, scenery, and culture are fascinating. And the beaches in India and Thailand are absolutely breathtaking.
