The United States of America's national debt is now over $11,000,000,000,000, that's $2890 per person on the planet, lets hope no one decides to forclose the debt. This is since that nice Mr Bush decided to bail out all those bankrupt mortgage lenders over there in the good old US of A. Time will tell if his decision was the right one and the prospect of a world resession is now receding in to the distance. If it is, then good for him. Maybe this nearly last gasp action of his Presidency will redeem him in the eyes of history for all the mad things he has done during the previous 7 and a half years, namely Iraq and Katrina plus a whole host of other comparatively minor blunders that leaders tend to make like setting up Homeland Security for one.
Talking of America, one more thing that may be on it way from the land of the free is the Yellow School Bus. The government is being urged to introduce US-style yellow school buses for primary schools across Britain.
The Yellow School Bus Commission, chaired by the former education secretary, David Blunkett, said it could "revolutionise" the school run.
A year-long review found the numbers of children being driven to school by car had doubled in the past 20 years.
The cross-party commission found that introducing yellow buses could mean millions fewer car journeys each year.
Currently, 6,600 UK pupils use yellow buses as part of 20 pilot schemes - they usually have extra safety features like CCTV and students generally have allocated seats.
Behaviour problems
In its report, the commission says they offer numerous benefits - from a safe journey to school to reducing congestion, reducing pollution and improving attendance times at schools.
It found that 41% of primary school pupils and 21% of secondary school pupils were being taken to school by car - accounting for 20% of car journeys during the morning rush hour and about one million tonnes of CO2 each year.
Cost could be between £50 and £100 million. How exactly it will run is hard to say. I do know bus companies would be hard pressed to run something like this, extra drivers would be needed between 7:00 and 9:30am and 3:00 and 5;00pm which is just when the companies need all the drivers they can get to run their own buses. I have a feeling in the USA schools employ their own bus drivers (I sit in front of my computer ready to be corrected) who only drive the school runs. A similar system here? A relief for drivers arriving in Newton Abbot around 3:30 in the afternoon.
Finally for this post an apology. I haven't been posting with as much zeal as I used to. Without the excitement of bus driving to give me something to report, Stagecoach and I have parted company, I have kind of got out of the habit of posting. I will however make a big effort to find something to write about, even if it is only a bit of bus riding. Like the other day I went to Ilfacombe on the north coast of Devon. Six different buses there and back. More about that tomorrow including the driver who used a mobile while driving along the road at 40 mph with loads of passengers on the bus. Naughty person
See you all tomorrow.
11 comments:
as far as I know, firstbus operate the majority of yellow school buses in the USA
What are you up to now you're no longer a bus driver?
Not to be pedantic but you missed three zeroes -- it's $11,000,000,000,000.
To The Captain, I sign on every two weeks and the rest of the time I sit on the Strand and monitor the bus times. I am building up a big data base which I might send to the traffic comission on day. I also go on lots of bus rides. And yes I did miss a few zeros, sorry, I will corect that now.
Hi Dave, what made you leave? I feel as if a big part of my daily reading will be empty now as it was nice to be able to recognise with a fellow driver the daily grind we all go through. Wishing you well for the future.
life changes david doesnt mean it has to be worse. income wise we adjust and the free buses certainly help. lots to explore there. all the best and stay positive.
I wish you well, whatever the future holds. Whether sat logging your previous employer's bus movements for the possible benefit of the traffic commissioner (who probably has not asked for the information) is a good idea - especially doing it in front of all your old colleagues, including supervisory - is best left to your judgment!
You may disagree and that I respect but to save anyone less charitably inclined drawing their own (probably erroneous) conclusions as to why you and Stagecoach parted might it not be helpful to you to say why?
Anyhow, take care and good luck to you.Thanks for the blog over the years.
Thanks for all the really interesting blogs David and for taking the time to reply to my occasional queries. I do hope you find gainful employment soon.
Nevertheless, please keep the writing and pictures coming. Have you thought about tapping up the 'Herald Express' for a job? I certainly think you have columnist possibilities.
Best wishes for the future,
Dave, the bus-nut-from-Paignton now-living-in-Leicestershire
David
I've enjoyed your blog so much - hope you continue to entertain and interest your devoted readership for a long time to come - and good luck with your future career wherever it takes you.
Jane from Brixham
Good luck for the future Dave, I am sure that it will work out. Your blog is very enjoyable and you have that wry sense of humour that helps if you are a bus driver.
By the way, FirstGroup are NOT the main provider of school buses in the US. 70% of the 16,000 school districts still directly employ the drivers with good benefits. Of the 30% that is contracted to private companies, some 40% is the 60,000 FirstGroup buses (there are 480,000 buses altogether). The system is by no means perfect and is different to the UK school system (which makes it financially viable) - high school kids have to catch their buses at around 06.15 am (like to see that happen in the UK!).
Strikes me that kids riding on scheduled services (even if diverted slightly) would be a better job all round.
Sorry to hear about your departure from Stagecoach (*asks no more)
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