An exercise was undertaken to review the locations of those pupils accessing non-statutory subsidised school transport with locally available bus routes. This showed that there are local buses services within reasonable walking distance for all communities currently receiving non-statutory subsidised school transport.
A working group involving representatives from transport, traffic, road safety, education, Stagecoach and Police Scotland was also set up to monitor demand for the service and to consider opportunities to enhance active travel in order to provide options to transition away from the non-statutory subsidised model.
Part of the group’s work involved consulting with parents, carers, young people and headteachers about the proposed walking routes to their schools and the use of local bus services. The aim was to understand whether pupils would use the options suggested for the pilot scheme and to mitigate any concerns that were raised. Some respondents noted that they already make use of the public bus services; and the introduction of a direct bus from north Kilmarnock was largely welcomed.