AMERICAN-style school buses could soon be providing a door-to-door pick-up service for Bolton's children.

First Manchester Buses yesterday unveiled a yellow school bus at a special presentation at The Reebok Stadium.

In the United States, the buses are driven by someone the children know -- often a parent. Children are picked up around 100 yards from their homes and driven to and from school.

With the fuel crisis showing how much parents rely on cars to take youngsters to school, First Manchester believes the service could change the way Bolton's children go to school.

Moir Lockhead, FirstGroup's chief executive, said: "In the United States, fiftyfour per cent of children under 12 use a school bus but in this country, only twenty per cent of children of all ages do so.

"We believe this service can reduce the rush hour traffic caused by the school run, improve child road safety and help schools by getting children to their classes more ready to start the school day.

"Our service is more than just providing a bus -- it is a partnership between the school, the parent and the company. The school bus itself is one of the safest vehicles there is, while the operation is very different to the school bus service we see here now.

"In America, children are picked up from within 100 yards of their homes, the driver is the same every day, knows each child and ticks them off a list. The driver is usually a parent at the school and is in direct radio contact with either the company's operations room or the school itself.

"We believe the yellow school bus is the catalyst for change -- it is recognised, known and trusted. We believe it will give more parents the confidence to let their children go to school by public transport."

The yellow bus was at The Reebok as part of a nationwide tour organised by FirstGroup, one of the UK's largest transport operators which includes First Manchester Buses.

Managers at First Manchester will be meeting representatives from all local authorities across the region to explain why First Group believes an American-style service could encourage more parents to allow their children to take the bus to school.