MEASURES to reduce indiscipline and increase safety on school buses including installing CCTV and banning double-decker vehicles have been approved by Assembly members.

Proposals in the report also include allowing only two children per seat on school buses, staggering school starting and finishing times, putting more adult escorts on board and supervising places where children are picked up.

The School Transport Review was signed off by the education committee and will now be launched for debate by the whole Assembly in April, though Minister Jane Davidson may choose to ignore the recommendations if she wishes.

Newport Transport, which covers many of the city's school runs and was illustrated by the members as an example of good practice, already has seven special school coaches, costing 110,000 and fitted with the latest in safety features.

The coaches make up a total of 15 vehicles that complete Newport school runs each day, of which only one is a double-decker.

Managing director of Newport Transport Trevor Roberts said: "I'm enormously pleased with the transport review agreed by the committee agreed today but there is a long way to go.

"The coaches with seatbelts are a vast improvement on safety because there is less horseplay and fighting.

"But even with CCTV fitted we still have to speak to schools to tell them children have been caught smoking and messing round."