1,350 vehicles were stopped last month during a two week, police and multi agency operation to clamp down on unsafe school transport.

Operation Coachman targeted vehicles that transport young people to schools and colleges such as school buses, coaches and taxis, ensuring the vehicles were safe and that the drivers were complying with the law.

Of the 1,350 vehicles stopped, 185 were minibuses and 107 were taxis. From the total vehicles stopped, 24 per cent (326 vehicles) were found to have committed offences. 26 per cent of these (84 vehicles) received a prohibition notice for mechanical defects (including brakes, steering, lights and tyres). A further 26 per cent were required to be taken off the road immediately. Seven of these were minibuses, including a minibus in Swindon that was stopped carrying children to school, after one of the five wheel studs on one of the rear wheels was found to be tighter than ‘hand tight’.

A car stopped in Cambridgeshire had five children sitting in the back being taken to school. Another vehicle in Wiltshire was reported for being in a dangerous condition with wheel nuts only being ‘hand tight’.

Police officers in 25 forces across England and Wales, worked with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and local education authorities to carry out checks on these vehicles with the primary concern being for passenger safety.

Chief Superintendent Geraint Anwyl of North Wales Police and ACPO lead for National Roads Policing Intelligence, said:

“This operation helps to ensure the safety of a vulnerable group of people in today’s society. Children are reliant on adults to ensure they travel safely and a vast majority of this travel occurs to and from their place of education.

“It is encouraging that a relatively low number of vehicles stopped committed offences and an even lower number were required to be taken off the road to rectify their defects.

“Operations of this kind act as a timely reminder to vehicle operators who take children to and from their place of education, that they have a responsibility to those children to ensure the vehicles are fit for purpose.

“We will continue with operations of this kind to ensure that children are not put in danger by irresponsible vehicle operators or adults who fail to ensure their vehicles are safe and road worthy and that they themselves are fit to drive them.”