PSVAR delay a welcome step, but more must be done

PSVAR delay a welcome step, but more must be done

“The news that PSVAR compliance deadline is set to be pushed back to next year will be met with relief by the education and transport industries alike, with a great many schools previously at risk of being caught out by the ill-advised blanket implementation of the law that would have left thousands of schools non-compliant.

“While transport operators now have more time to financially recover from a year of reduced revenue, the delay will be little more than a sticking-plaster if the government does not use these next few months to change transport accessibility legislation for the better. A more nuanced solution, wherein each school transport arrangement is judged on a case-by-case basis, is needed.

“If government do not give PSVAR a sorely-needed second look, they run the risk of stranding thousands of children across the country, as schools unable to feasibly comply with the legislation would have no option but to stop offering home-to-school transport services altogether – an unacceptable option facing one in 20 schools, according to our research.

“For the sake of schools, pupils and transport operators alike, we urge the Department for Transport to stop postponing the issue and recognise that a fresh approach to PSVAR compliance, that better takes into account the needs of schools and the transport industry, is sorely needed.”

By David Biszby, operations director at school transport specialist Kura