UK School leaders are set to “revolutionise” home-to-school transport through investment in digital innovation. 

Digital technologies are set to be rolled out across the country that will safeguard students and optimise routes as part of plans for a “safer, greener, smarter school run”. 

A recent survey of 250 school leaders, conducted by school transport technology firm Kura, revealed that 38% of schools and 48% of Multi-Academy Trusts plan to invest in upgrading tech across all areas, including school transport, within the next five years. 

The ‘school run’ contributes to as much as a quarter of rush hour traffic, due to the overuse of small vehicles instead of alternative transport options like buses. This results in a significant amount of damaging emissions being released close to schools impacting air quality.  

Estimates from Unicef suggest that up to two-thirds of the toxic air particulates children breathe is during school hours, which they say could impair “both health and cognitive development” over time. 

One 49-seater school coach can be expected to replace an average of 31 cars, easing congestion and toxic fumes. Schools say they plan to invest in tech with nearly a third of schools (31.2%) already invested in measures to improve their carbon footprint.

Commenting on the news, Kura CEO Godfrey Ryan said: “Lockdown had stalled a lot of the progression towards encouraging greener alternatives to school transport, as parents remained concerned over their child’s exposure to the virus.  

“However, more than half of the parents we surveyed report that they would like their child’s school to be as green and environmentally friendly as possible, and this view is shared by an equal proportion of students.” 

According to Kura’s Green Guide, one of the areas of concern resulting in extra car use is worries around pupil safeguarding, as 43% of parents stated that they would find it reassuring to know exactly when their child arrived and left school.  

Despite this only 31.2% of schools currently use technology to safeguard pupils on the school run, with a further 32.4% still reliant on paper registers for this critical process. 

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“We have seen a growing trend in schools wanting to be more proactive in combatting the environmental danger of the school run, with initiatives such as no car zones being implemented by schools and encouraging other transport options such as biking and walking,” Ryan continued. 

“However, these alternatives can be both unsafe and impractical for children, especially those who live a significant distance away from school. It is therefore the perfect time for schools to begin investing in transport technology to tackle these mounting issues that are projected to only worsen if they are not addressed.  

“Modern problems require modern solutions, and school travel is no different.”

Only around 22.8% of schools have so far adopted technology to manage school transport over the last decade despite it being embraced in other areas of school management.  

This is set to change, however, with 57.6% of schools stating their intention to invest in technological advancement to improve the administration side of the school run. 

One-in-five (21.6%) of schools said they currently have no plans to invest in cleaner, greener vehicles such as electric buses due to cost concerns, and a further 12.4% cannot invest due to a lack of access to charging facilities.