Confessions of a...bus driver

Glyn Stacy, an environment manager for BT, has recently taken on another rather different responsibility. He has become a volunteer ‘bus driver’, ensuring safe passage to a group of youngsters on their way to school, but all without ever touching a motor vehicle.

The bus in question is the school’s new Walking Bus, which enables volunteer drivers and conductors to shepherd up to 20 children safely to school three days a week, with the only environmental damage being to the soles of their shoes.

Stacy says: “Both my sons are pupils at the school and when the scheme was proposed I was more than happy to volunteer. Our bus is the pilot project for this school, but it’s going so well that we’ve increased from just one day when the project started to three.”

Cross county

The Staffordshire Walking Bus scheme has been steadily expanding since its inception in 1999. There are currently 119 nursery and primary schools in the county taking part, with 30 more in the process of signing up.

Approximately 2,000 children walk to school every day as a result, accompanied by volunteer adult ‘drivers’ and ‘conductors’ who attend as part of a rota. There is one adult for every eight children, with a minimum of two per bus each run. More than 500 parents participate at some point each week.

Pam Griffin is one of Staffordshire County Council’s two Walking Bus co-ordinators. She says: “The benefits of a Walking Bus include reducing congestion, particularly around school gates; it encourages a healthy lifestyle attitude that we hope the children take with them into adulthood; and it fosters social activity and inclusion.”

She says the children are also extremely supportive and aware of the environmental issues involved: “Reducing car usage is obviously better for the local environment, a subject which children are really keyed up about. When we go into assemblies to get the children involved, they know all the answers. It also ties in closely into a number of school eco initiatives.”

The co-ordinators organise the volunteers, routes and rotas. The county also organises training for the adult volunteers in basic road safety and provides insurance for them against any legal or personal risks through participating. “Parents need that back up,” notes Griffin.