Leading campaigners to end the Section 19 loophole that allows schools and colleges to operate minibuses without an O-Licence say they have been encouraged by recent progress.
Steve and Liz Fitzgerald, whose daughter Claire was among 12 children killed in a minibus driven by a teacher in a crash on the M40 in 1993, last autumn kickstarted a call to politicians to change legislation.
The couple’s MP, Sarah Edwards, put forward an Early Day Motion (EDM) on the subject on 28 February to raise political awareness. At the time of writing, it had received eight signatures. The majority of EDMs attract fewer than three.
A briefing session on 6 March was attended by shadow Minister for Local Transport Simon Lightwood, who was said by Mr and Mrs Fitzgerald to have given “cautious support” and asked for a further briefing.
Further ground was broken last month when unions NASUWT, GMB, Unison and Unite issued joint guidance to teachers which included strong advice to them not to drive minibuses.
A public petition on the topic had garnered more than 300 signatures. Mr and Mrs Fitzgerald, who add that the response to the 6 March briefing had been beyond their expectations, called upon coach operators to sign the petition.
Mr Fitzgerald says: “We are absolutely amazed at how far we’ve come in such a short time. We’ve got to give credit where credit’s due — our MP has been amazing and NASUWT has pulled out all the stops.”
