5 Tips For Reducing Air Pollution At Schools | Minibus Company

01 March 2021

Despite a significant reduction in traffic during lockdown periods over the past year, air pollution is still on the rise. As a minibus company, we sympathise with our school customers and the unique challenges they face in terms of vehicle pollution.

During busy pick-up and drop-off periods, how exposed are your students to car fuel emissions? 

According to a report by Child in the City, air pollution can impact neurodevelopment and cognitive ability in children and can trigger asthma. With this in mind, the team at Marshall Minibus has compiled this helpful guide to reducing vehicle pollution around your school premises.

Limit the number of vehicles 

Restricting vehicle access on your school premises during pick-up and drop-off hours is a great place to start. Restricting on-site vehicle access may help to distribute pollution levels, by forcing parents and guardians to park in more spaced-out areas along the street, therefore preventing children from being exposed to concentrated levels of car emissions. 

Where possible, staggered pick-up and drop-off times for each year group is another simple way to reduce concentrated levels of vehicle emissions.

Walk to school schemes

We understand that walking to school isn’t possible for every family, but a walk to school scheme can still have a big impact on lowering pollution levels. 

Some families may be reluctant to switch to walking, particularly where they cannot devote the time to doing so. A school escort rota could help to reduce pressure on parents and guardians - If several families live in close proximity to one another, it may be beneficial for one parent to escort children from several families to school, and rotate each day. 

This case study by the Department for Education into promoting walking in primary schools, which might be a good place to begin when planning a new walk to school scheme.  

Alternative methods of transport

Government investment into improved road systems for cyclists, along with various schemes promoting cycling as an alternative method of transport have resulted in a boom in the number of cyclists on UK roads. According to an article published by the Evening Standard in September 2020 the number of cyclists in London had grown by nearly 120% in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic.

For older children who are able to escort themselves to school, it may be worth considering a partnership with local cycling organisations or even athletes to nurture an interest in cycling and teach road safety.

Understand your carbon footprint

We all know that we need to reduce our carbon footprint, but how often do we actually choose to walk rather than drive? 

All too often, we take the ‘easy’ option and choose to drive to places we could easily walk to. Why is this?

Is it because we can’t fully comprehend the size of our own carbon footprint, and its consequences? Or could it be that we simply don’t feel emotionally driven to go out of our way to change bad habits, because we don’t physically feel the effects of air pollution in our day-to-day lives?

Either way, the first step encouraging change is to educate. Put this question to the parents:

“If you drive to and from school every day for a year, how many trees would you need to plant to level out your carbon debt?”

Consider a school minibus

One vehicle is better than five, so why not invest in a school minibus as an alternative to the parent fleet? 

Marshall Minibus is also working on electric alternatives to petrol and diesel minibuses, which will allow you to further reduce air pollution at your school.

We want you feel safe and confident in your minibus, which is why our minibuses are vetted to the highest standard. Our team of experts would be delighted to discuss with you how we can assist with your minibus requirements.

Contact Us - Minibus Company

Marshall Minibus leases 9-17 seater minibuses. For more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us by calling 01480 220 444 or complete the contact form on our website.

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