A TRANSPORT group chairman has voiced concerns over the number of unseatbelted buses operating on school routes.

Michael Lightfoot, northern region chairman of the Confederation of Passenger Transport and managing director of Durham City Coaches, spoke after Durham County Council advertised the contracts for 200 out of its 800 school runs for next term.

It awarded Go North East, which already operates nine school runs for the council, a further 18.

These will be serviced by 30 single and double decker buses, none of which are fitted with seatbelts.

The contracts were awarded despite the council's pledge last year to use only buses with seatbelts for its school runs within two years.

Mr Lightfoot said it was moving in the opposite direction.

"From this September, we are going to see a higher percentage of unseatbelted buses operating home to school transport than ever before," he said.

"They tell you that preference is given to single deck, seatbelted coaches but at the end of the day the main criterion for awarding contracts is price."

While single deck coaches carrying children must legally be fitted with seatbelts, there is no obligation for ordinary buses to have them.

The council was unable to specify how many of its school routes are currently serviced by unseatbelted buses, although it said 97-98 per cent of its contracts were held by operators with seatbelted vehicles.

Mr Lightfoot said: "They are not doing anything legally wrong but I think it's morally wrong."

A council spokeswoman said: "Seatbelts, along with a number of other criteria such as past performance of the company, are taken into account when awarding contracts.

"While we may not yet have been able to achieve the position where all our contracts use vehicles with seatbelts, we continue to strive towards that goal."

Martin Harris, commercial director of Go North East, stressed that the firm had a successful record of operating school buses in County Durham and Tyne and Wear.