Primary school children living two miles or more from school and Secondary pupils living three miles or more from school are entitled to free transport. Children who are not eligible for free transport will have to pay a contribution towards the cost of transport if they make use of it. It will be possible for parents to:
- buy weekly books of tickets or
- purchase a termly pass or
- purchase a session pass
Payment for the above can be made by direct debit if parents wish. The overall price is the same regardless of which method parents choose – in other words, there is no cost penalty for choosing to pay weekly or monthly.
There is also a system of stepped discounts for families with more that one child travelling to school.
It is the parent’s responsibility to make sure their child arrives at the pick up point on time and behaves in a safe and acceptable manner while boarding, travelling in and leaving the vehicle. Children who misbehave can lose their right to home to school transport.
Parents and pupils should be aware that misconduct on school buses is taken very seriously by the transport provider, i.e. the Council. Arrangements for dealing with incidents of misconduct are set out in detail in ‘School Transport – A Guide for Pupils and Parents’, which can be accessed on the Council’s website. The following extract from the guide provides a useful overview of current policy:
‘Schools are responsible for taking disciplinary action with regard to the behaviour of children on school transport in exactly the same way as if the misbehaviour occurred in school……the school may use a progressive range of normal sanctions such as punishment exercises, detention or the withdrawal of school privileges. A school may involve parents where disciplinary sanctions have been applied. If misbehaviour is very serious or persists after a warning the school may recommend the suspension of free transport for a period of time.’
