Review of the guide to improving school transport safety

“A Guide to Improving School Transport Safety” and an accompanying report were published by Transport Scotland and SCOTS in December 2010. This report details a review of these documents.

The review involved a TRL researcher conducting telephone interviews with representatives from 31 of the 32 councils in Scotland in order to answer several key research questions about how the guide and report have been used (if at all) since their publication.

Interviews were undertaken by the same researcher using a standardised structured topic guide to ensure consistency of approach. All interviews were recorded and transcribed prior to analysis. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis, which involved identifying key themes emerging from the data. These themes are presented with illustrative quotes from interview respondents.

The qualitative data analysis provided an in-depth understanding of how the guide was perceived and used, how it could be improved, which recommendations were most and least useful and whether the guide had prompted or led to the implementation of policy. In addition, local authorities were asked to report on the use of school bus signs and to indicate their interest in a workshop.