A teacher has ditched the classroom to provide a unique bus service to get youngsters to school on time.
And The Big Green Bus is proving so popular with schools that Ian Mack, from Wolverhampton, is set to expand the routes.
Since setting up the service, the 38-year-old, from Penn in Wolverhampton has been inundated with requests from schools across the region keen to exploit his “unique and revolutionary” door-to-door service. The company’s origins were, fittingly, born in a classroom.
He said: “The Birmingham school where I worked needed a bus service so I drew up a map of all pupils’ addresses and plotted the best route and subcontracted the transport.
“It worked well and soon other schools wanted a similar operation, I’m at the stage where I am considering going full-time.”
Ian, company director, is currently preparing a route for Queen Mary’s High School, in Walsall, and hopes to hold talks with Wolverhampton schools next year.
It’s a novel idea which Ian claims takes 1,200 cars off West Midland’s roads every day by removing the need for parents to embark on the dreaded school-run.
Unique
“We’re primarily a service for schools with a vast catchment area whose pupils come far and wide. We devise a route and try and pick up each individual pupil from their home within reason.
“It doesn’t sound revolutionary but no other bus service provides that service at the price of a bus pass - it’s certainly unique.”
The company, based at Aston Science Park in Birmingham, are currently having satellite transmitters fitted to their fleet of environmentally friendly buses so parents can check up of the exact whereabouts of their children to and from school.
So does Ian miss the trial and tribulations of the classroom?
“Although I am still working as a lecturer I do miss teaching at my old school King Edwards Fiveways, in Bartley Green.
“I miss the intellectual interaction of school teaching but The Green Bus has certainly exceeded my expectations.”
By Steve Wright
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