A NEW bus prefect scheme has been introduced to tackle problems of rowdy behaviour on Wiltshire's school buses.

Children will be trained by Wiltshire County Council's passenger transport unit to report any incidents of bad behaviour on the buses and help ensure the school journey is a safe and pleasant one for their friends and peers.

The bus prefects will have bus-shaped badges so the driver and fellow pupils will know who they are and they will have a pad to record and report incidents.

They will also be encouraged to report any examples of positive behaviour.

Pupils will be asked to report unruly behaviour at the bus stop or during the journey, and any incidents of bullying, vandalism and smoking.

After the incident is reported to a nominated member of staff at the school, it will be investigated by the school and the county council's passenger transport unit and they will decide on what action to take.

This could be a misbehaviour letter to parents or, in more extreme cases, a period of exclusion from school transport.

Linda Winstock, customer service and training officer, said: "We want to ensure that travelling on school buses is a safe and pleasant experience for everyone.

"Unruly behaviour can be a health and safety risk and can lead to accidents and injuries. The bus prefects will have an important contribution to make to help improve behaviour on school buses."

Schools in the south of the county have already signed up and run a pilot programme and the county council's passenger transport unit is planning to roll out the scheme to other schools. Linda Winstock can be contacted on (01225) 713343 for more information or to join the scheme.