New provider found for 'vital' school bus service

Children with special educational needs and disabilities relied on the service to get to school

A new provider has been found to run school minibuses for children with disabilities and special educational needs.

More than 4,000 children in Birmingham relied on the service from ATG, which went into administration in March.

West Midlands Accessible Transport Ltd, part of National Express, will run it from September.

Birmingham City Council said it was "really pleased" to have found a new provider for the "vital service".

ATG had 72,000 registered Ring and Ride users

After ATG collapsed, Birmingham City Council's cabinet approved £1.4m funding over 12 weeks to keep the service running for school children.

As well as supporting children getting to school, ATG also had 72,000 registered users for its 'Ring and Ride' door-to-door service for elderly or disabled people who have difficulty accessing public transport.

National Express is also in discussions to take on this contract from Transport for West Midlands, which has financed the service since ATG collapsed.