By the end of March 2007 My bus yellow buses were serving 117 West Yorkshire schools, including three Special Educational Needs schools.
One-hundred-and-twelve out of an eventual 150 vehicles are currently in service and over 6,500 of primary and secondary pupils across the county are registered with My bus. Once all buses have been introduced, My bus will serve 130 schools.
Across primary schools an average of 68% of My bus pupils formerly travelled to school in a car which means metro is achieving the aim of reducing peak-time traffic and improving school gate safety. Primary school pupils’ parents are, on average, saving 54 minutes and driving 30km less every week as they are no longer having to do the school run.
In May 2006 My bus beat tough competition from 450 teams and individuals from across the UK to win the ‘Working Together’ at the national ‘Public Servants of the Year Awards,” which recognise and reward teams and individuals ‘working hard to make a real difference to the general public.’ The judges told Metro they valued the unique partnership approach of My bus.
Following the award, Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote to congratulate the team, saying that My bus project had revolutionised school transport in West Yorkshire. In his letter Mr Blair letter described the scheme's success as 'a remarkable achievement'.
Pupils from Sandal Primary in Baildon told Shadow Education Minister David Willetts they couldn’t think of anything that could make their My bus yellow bus better when he visited the school in January.
"My bus has got a national reputation,” said Mr Willetts. “It is the type of project I would like to see rolled out across the country."
The My bus call centre took six times as many calls as in the previous year and achieved an above 90% satisfaction rate from callers.
Metro’s Education Transport team coordinated transport to and from school for 50,000 pupils across West Yorkshire and work began on incorporating some of the features of My bus into these services.
In June over 1400 of West Yorkshire’s Year Six pupils, due to start at their secondary schools in September, took part in Metro’s annual, Junior SAFEMark training. At 90-minute workshops pupils they learned how to find public transport in their area with simple maps and timetables, use Metro’s online journey planner and travel safely on buses.
One third of all the county’s 140 secondary schools have achieved SAFEMark or are in the process of completing the scheme. SAFEMark is an awards scheme which rewards schools for taking public transport seriously. To gain a SAFEMark award, schools must follow a thorough process of consultation and action planning in partnership with bus operators, local authorities and the police.
