Govt sets up crisis talks on school transport

The Government will be holding crisis talks on school transport tomorrow, ahead of fears that up to 300,000 school children may be left without seats on buses.

The problem arose from new safety regulations which come into effect when schools start up next week. These say that there must only be one person per seat, thereby abolishing the rule that three children can sit in a two-seater if there is no space.

The pupils most likely to be left without transport are those who live outside a school's catchment area, but it is possible some routes may be changed to allow students from a larger area to access the buses.