Busy parents trying to get their offspring to school should be allowed to bypass traffic jams by using bus lanes, suggests a new campaign.

Some in the motoring industry say allowing families on the school run to make use of 'often-empty' bus lanes would both help lessen congestion for all drivers and help more pupils get to school on time.

The majority of bus lanes in towns and cities are already open to taxis and motorcycles - but any driver or vehicle caught in a bus lane illegally faces being slapped with a penalty charge notice and a hefty fine.

But widening the current restrictions to permit working parents ferrying their children to school before work also make use of the traffic-free channels would benefit everyone in the long run say those behind the new proposal.

Industry experts at LeaseCar.uk have launched the campaign to allow mums and dads to bypass queueing traffic between the hours of 8am and 9am in order to get to the school gates and then onto their place of work in plenty of time.

The company claims - with less than 40% of pupils able to get to school on foot - many pupils rely on the daily car journey to get to school.

While the pandemic, says the firm, has led to many more people being able to work from home that has reduced traffic levels during rush hour, congestion is still a daily issue for many commuters.

Tim Alcock from LeaseCar.uk believes allowing parents into bus lanes without a fine is the answer.

He said: “Parents and carers up and down the UK can really relate to the frustration of the school run, with your kids arguing in the back telling you you’ve forgotten their PE kit or lunchbox. It’s easy to get frustrated and getting stuck in traffic knowing they’ll be late to school isn’t helping anyone.

"Our campaign to allow school runners to drive in bus lanes will not only help to ease congestion on other road users getting to work during rush hour, but also stop so many children from consistently being late to school and missing education simply because of the traffic.

"Bus lanes often allow motorcycles and taxis, and it can be really annoying knowing your kids are going to be late to school because you’re stuck in a queue whilst other vehicles sail past in the often empty bus lanes. It poses an obvious question for local authorities, if getting kids to school on time is a priority: why aren’t parents on the school run allowed in bus lanes too?

"Opening bus lanes up to parents on the school run seems the most obvious and easy answer."