Wokingham combines trips to reduce emissions
Like many local authorities, Wokingham Borough Council has increasing pressure on school places. As a result, some primary children live further than the 2 miles and are entitled to school transport.
Following the introduction of QRoutes, Rebecca Brooks, Community and Transport Manager identified the potential to combine trips previously delivered in 9 taxis into a combination of taxis and a minibus.
“Change can make people nervous, and we were concerned about the reaction of the parents and the school with the introduction of a minibus. But we’ve had hardly any complaints. The children are all collected from bus stops near home and travel together with a passenger assistant.
The children are getting used to using the bus, building sustainable travel habits for the future
Rebecca Brooks, community and transport manager, Wokingham borough council
“We’ve turned nine taxis into a combination of taxis and one minibus. That’s a small step towards lower emissions, better air quality and fewer vehicles making the streets around the school a safer and healthier place to be.
“The children are also getting used to using the bus, building sustainable travel habits for the future.”
“For the Council it also had the added benefit of saving £64,000 over the course of an academic year.”