A BUS company is hoping a pilot scheme to improve safety for children travelling to school may be used across the region.

Go North-East is introducing a number of yellow buses with increased safety features on the route to Green Croft Comprehensive School in Stanley, County Durham.

More than £10,000 has been spent on features including onboard security cameras, improved emergency warning buzzers and numbered seats that are allocated to pupils.

The improvements follow increasing concerns about the safety of youngsters using school transport, particularly following the death of 12-year-old Jamie Wells, from Middlesbrough.

Jamie fell to his death minutes after unruly children crowded on to the bus he was travelling in and forced open the main doors.

Go North-East said many of the features it is introducing were suggested by pupils.

Commercial director Martin Harris said: "The pilot scheme has already had a positive response and we hope that the advantages of the enhanced buses and their increased safety focus will be clearly seen."

Go North-East spokesman Andrew Nash said: "If this is successful it is something we will certainly be considering at other schools."

He said that fitted seatbelts had been discussed by the company and might be adopted in the future.

The Northern Echo has called for transport operators to fit safety belts as standard to buses and coaches used by children.

A spokesman for Durham Education Authority said: "Any safety improvement made by bus companies contracted to school runs must be of benefit and we welcome the fact that pupils themselves have been involved in many of these new features."