Joint partnership will combat the threat low occupancy car-travel poses to the school run.

  • Almost a third (32%) of school journeys have shifted from public transport to cars
  • 40% of parents concerned around toxic fumes around their child’s school
  • Kura HomeRun partnership to enable 100% journey visibility for schools

Kura, the UK’s largest shared home to school transport provider, has joined up with HomeRun, the sustainable school travel app, to combat the threat low occupancy car-travel poses to students, staff and parents.

This partnership comes as it was revealed that infection fears have created a surge in car journeys since the return of schools in March. HomeRun analysis reveals that almost a third (32%) of school journeys that were taken by public transport pre-lockdown have now switched to private vehicles.

This increase in car usage has created more traffic congestion and toxic air pollution around the school gates, which is a critical threat to children’s health. Parents are particularly aware of this issue, with two in five parents (40%) highlighting traffic congestion around their school gates as a problem, and a further 22% expressing concern around the level of toxic car fumes around their school in a separate survey commissioned by Kura in 2019.

To combat this toxic trend, the partnership between HomeRun and Kura will provide schools with with a more complete view of their commutes, covering all student, parent and staff journeys irrespective of how they travel. This will enable schools to more easily identify and communicate with serial low-occupancy car users and recommend greener alternatives such as car-sharing, walking buddies or dedicated shared transport. Schools will be able to utilise this insight in order to tackle the harm created by increased traffic.

By bringing the two solutions together Godfrey Ryan, CEO of Kura, believes it can provide a unique solution to the issue of the school run, “Homerun’s innovative solutions will allow us to augment our shared transport data with a range of additional information on parents who have been forced back into low-occupancy cars. Through this, we will be able to more effectively work with schools to provide a range of safer, more convenient transport propositions, aligned with their bespoke needs, that decrease the number of vehicles around the school gates. I’m delighted to be working with them.”

HomeRun founder and director, Pooya Kamvari, says, “The issue of the school run must be tackled holistically and I’m glad to be partnering with a like-minded company looking to do just that. Every school has a unique commute footprint of journeys and being able to understand and visualise it is key to identifying impactful, sustainable solutions. With the right combination of measures including car-sharing, travel buddies and dedicated school transport we can make low and single-occupancy car use a thing of the past.”

With traffic returning to 70% of the normal levels following the return of all students to school, it is becoming imperative for schools to act in order to combat this rising health risk.

Schools in London, which have gone the extra mile to ban parent traffic during peak drop off hours, have seen a significant improvement to their air quality. Insight collected from 18 schools has shown a drop in nitrogen dioxide emissions of up to 23%.

The Kura HomeRun partnership will provide schools with a full array of multi-modal travel solutions for their students and staff. This uniquely holistic approach to improving school transport will identify and recommend the right action plan based on each school’s individual journey footprint.

For more information how Kura and HomeRun can benefit schools, visit Kura schools page and homerun-app.com