Police in safety crackdown on school transport

Operation Coachman is part of a two-week national initiative run by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

In South Yorkshire, roads policing officers will team up with experts from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to check school transport vehicles.

Explained SYP Sergeant Graham Sayner: “We'll be working in various locations around the county, stopping vehicles used to transport schoolchildren and people with learning disabilities to places of education.

“This will include everything from school buses to coaches, taxis and minibuses and we'll be conducting both high visibility and covert patrols to check as many passenger-carrying vehicles as possible.”

Sgt Sayner said that the annual clampdown had run for more than a decade, but that he was not aware of any serious breaches previously within South Yorkshire.

“However, there is no room for complacency,” he went on.

“Dozens of vehicles carry hundreds of people to and from places of education week in, week out, and we need to ensure that they are transported safely.

“If we and our partners don't police them, then no-one will.”

Drivers who fall foul of the law may have a prohibition order slapped on their vehicle by VOSA and they or their company could face further penalties depending on the breach of regulation.