Volunteers are in line to be recruited to supervise children on school buses to oversee safety and stamp out rowdy behaviour.

Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, welcomed calls for the scheme, proposed by members of the Whitehawk Crime Prevention Forum and backed by Dr Des Turner, MP for Kemp Town.

The idea was put forward by Anne Wilson, whose daughter Tanis, 12, banged her head when the bus on which she was travelling braked to avoid a deaf child who was believed to have walked into the road in March.

Passengers were directed to an alternative service and the driver directed all the passengers including children to another bus.

The driver was commended for his actions but Mrs Wilson, of Manor Hill, Brighton, said at a meeting of the forum, said: "It's not possible for one adult, the driver, to supervise these children.

"Neither the school or the bus company has a scheme for volunteer members of staff or parents to control the kids and this is not right with the volume and behaviour of the children.

"By the time police officers arrived with members of the bus company there were 30 or 40 children off the bus and the driver suffering shock.

"It's not the fault of the bus company - the service is kindly diverted past the school to pick up the children - but it's something that needs to be dealt with."

Many of the bus journeys to schools across the city are carried out by the company and are ordinary public service buses.

Other residents agreed and highlighted cases of bad behaviour on some routes where the driver would have to deal with pupils as well as continue with the public service.

Mrs Wilson said there needed to be volunteer adults on board to prevent bullying or bad behaviour and to assist in emergencies.

Bob Cristofoli, a member of the forum and a former mayor of Brighton, said it was not just one bus route where a volunteer scheme was needed.

"It's right across the city. The behaviour of some of the kids on buses is so appalling.

"I avoid those buses which have school children on them."

Dr Turner, who chaired the meeting, said: "There is a broader issue here too of monitoring the behaviour of children on buses. We shall take this up with the bus company and we need to talk to other schools."

Mr French supported the call for a volunteer scheme and said he was willing to discuss the idea.

He said his drivers have had to cope with badly-behaved children or other problems alone.

Security cameras and close liaison with schools had helped reduce problems but he said: "It's a very valid call to have a responsible adult travelling with the children and we would support such a scheme.

"We can't introduce conductors again because of the additional cost to add that service. Passengers wouldn't want to pay the extra cost we would have to add to the tickets."