Buckinghamshire Council asks petrol stations to prioritise school buses

Buckinghamshire Council said there may be short notice cancellations to school buses due to fuel shortages

A council that had to cancel school buses due to fuel shortages has written to local petrol stations, asking them to give "priority access".

Buckinghamshire Council has issued "permits" to school transport providers to show at forecourts.

Industry body the Petrol Retailers Association said there had been no sign of improvement in petrol supplies.

The council said it was working with transport services so "children are able to get into and out of school".

On Tuesday, the authority cancelled a number of school bus services due to fuel shortages.

It said: "Cancellations may be at short notice, or indeed with no notice, as many of our school buses are reliant upon local petrol stations."

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A spokesman for the council said it had "devised and issued our own 'permits', in the form of letters, for school transport providers", according to the Local Democracy Report Service.

He said the authority had written to petrol stations to "explain these are from the council - asking them to give priority access to fuel for those providing this critical service".

"This is not a legal or official process - more one that relies on good will," he added.