School children forced to stand on bus

Up to 12 children at a time are having to stand on the 44A service, which picks them up from Powick and takes them to The Chase Technology College and Dyson Perrins School in Malvern.

Coun Tom Wells is leading the campaign for more and bigger buses and says the problem has been going on for the last six years.

The 44A, provided by First, is not a dedicated school bus but a public service and so isn't covered by strict legislation demanding children wear seatbelts.

But Coun Wells, a Liberal Democrat county councillor for Powick, says Worcestershire County Council is failing in its "duty of care" for pupils by allowing children to stand for the 20 minute journey, especially as the A449 Worcester-Malvern road has a history of accidents.

"I shudder to think what would happen if the driver had to brake and the bus is crammed full of children," he said. "I believe the county council has a duty of care. The council is washing its hands of this."

Coun Wells believes Worcestershire County Council should lay on its own service with buses big enough for every child to have a seat.

Among those backing his campaign are parents Susan and Pete Broughton from Powick.

A spokesman for Worcestershire County Council said the frequency of the buses had been increased from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes and that children had the opportunity to catch more than one bus to school, preventing overcrowding.

He added: "We would encourage parents to make sure their children arrive in a timely fashion."

David Brookes, operations manager at First Buses, said: "Most single deckers allow 20 people to stand. The figure we have got is 12 to 14 pupils standing which fits within that limit. We do understand that it can be inconvenient but on most journeys it's not a problem."

Earlier this month, your Worcester News reported how children were left stranded on their second day of school when the 44A bus broke down because of an electrical fault.