Parents urge school bus seatbelts

The petition calls for every child to be able to use a seatbelt

Parents have called on MSPs to back their campaign for seatbelts to be fitted on all school buses.

A group from Kingseat, Fife, delivered a petition to the Scottish Parliament also calling for US-style yellow buses to be introduced for school services.

The parents said dedicated school buses would contain safety measures designed specifically for children.

They felt contracts were being awarded to the cheapest providers, so companies with dedicated school buses miss out.

Parent confidence

The mother who has spearheaded the petition, which was submitted earlier this year, will put the case to MSPs on the Public Petitions committee.

Lynn Merrifield, who has two children, lodged the petition on behalf of the local community council in Fife.

She said: "There has been a lot of plans taken forward by schools recently to reduce the amount of parents taking children to and from school in their own car.

"I agree very much with the reasons behind these plans, however, a parent needs to feel confident that the transport provided for their child is safe.

A bus company claims most parents would use yellow buses

"All children should have the right to travel safely and with the appropriate safety equipment."

Fife Council, which is responsible for school buses, said seatbelts are already fitted on many services.

Colin Hamilton, responsible for transport services, said: "Seatbelts are provided in all vehicles up to minibus size and in coaches where it's required by law.

"When seatbelts are provided in a vehicle they must be used. We also aim to provide a seat for every pupil entitled to school transport."

Improved behaviour

The petition calls for American-style yellow school buses to be introduced in Fife.

Some areas of the UK have already brought in the buses and have reported major benefits including an improvement in school attendance and better behaviour.

Ms Merrifield will address the petitions committee accompanied by Dunfermline MSP Helen Eadie.

She told the BBC Scotland news website: "While most of the buses are perfectly safe, if you have an accident you are less likely to be injured if you're wearing a seatbelt. Tests have shown that."

The Aberdeen-based transport company First Group has set up a commission to examine the benefits of yellow school buses.

In July, they published research claiming that 86% of parents would send their children to school on such a vehicle.