Bus drivers should refuse to depart from stops if schoolchildren using public buses fail to sit down, a councillor has said.
Drivers of public bus services are currently advised merely to request pupils sit, rather than remain standing, as there is no obligation for passengers on public buses to be seated in the same manner children using dedicated school buses must.
Overcrowding concerns on public services
Worries about "overcrowded" public bus services have been voiced since schools resumed in September, with an image circulated on social media depicting pupils using a Newport Bus service to Monmouth standing in a packed aisle.
Monmouthshire County Council chief officer Debra Hill-Howells confirmed there has been a rise in passenger numbers on public bus services since a £1 single bus fare for all journeys for those aged 16 to 21 in Wales was launched in September. This has led to "congested" services and consequently the council, which had been supplying some secondary school pupils entitled to free school transport with bus passes for public service buses, will arrange a direct bus service for them instead, said Ms Hill-Howells.
However, she also informed a council scrutiny committee that part of the explanation for some buses being "congested" is pupils opting to stand rather than occupy seats on the upper deck of double decker buses.
Councillor calls for drivers to act
This prompted the committee chair Councillor Alistair Neill to propose drivers should decline to proceed with the journey if pupils are standing. The Conservative member said: "Is it not the case the driver should be obligated to say everyone needs to be seated for them to be transported safely as opposed to allowing learners to say 'I prefer to stand'?".
Cllr Neill, who represents Gobion Fawr, said: "It seems absolutely appropriate drivers be instructed the bus will not move off if people are standing and there are empty seats."
Ms Hill-Howells said there is a "distinction" between public bus services and dedicated home to school transport, such as minibuses or coaches, on which every pupil is assigned a seat. The officer explained that all passengers on public bus services are free to choose whether to sit or stand, with rules and regulations setting a capacity for both seated passengers and those standing. Drivers are required to ask passengers to move further down the bus, as standing is not permitted beyond a certain point.
Guidance already in place
Responding to Cllr Neill's request for "clear guidance" instructing drivers to ask pupils to sit, Ms Hill-Howells confirmed that guidance already exists directing drivers to remind pupils to sit rather than stand.
Cllr Neill replied: "Extraordinary, absolutely extraordinary. That seems something we might want to look into and make it something we approach the Welsh Government about."
The committee heard that the Newport Bus Chepstow to Monmouth 69 service had recently seen a surge in passenger numbers, while no such issue had been reported on the company's X74 service between Newport and Chepstow.
A council inspector had observed pupils standing on the lower deck of a bus, Ms Hill-Howells explained, adding: "We have double deckers on some of these routes and they are choosing not to go upstairs they'd rather stand so there is some behaviour causing some of the congestion. Where we find an issue we will replace it with a dedicated service."
In 2024, the council had agreed to provide certain secondary school pupils eligible for free transport with bus passes for public services as a means of supporting routes for the wider community. Since September last year, the council had also extended the distances at which pupils qualify for free school transport, which has resulted in a £268,000 underspend for the council's passenger transport unit.
The move towards offering teenagers complimentary passes for public buses has additionally enabled the council to decrease the number of home-to-school transport contracts it maintains. The committee was cautioned that the underspend could fluctuate owing to contract modifications. Ms Hill-Howells also stated the council was pleased with the rise in fare-paying passengers following the launch of the £1 journeys.
