School Transport Guidance for Parents and Carers \u2013 Shetland
\n3 August 2020
\nInstructions for All Pupils Entitled to School Transport
\n\uf0b7 Hand sanitisation is required prior to boarding all vehicles
\no It is the responsibility of the parents\/carers to ensure that pupils have access to hand sanitiser for
\nthis purpose and particular consideration must be given to circumstances where changing vehicles is
\nnecessary to complete a journey
\n\uf0b7 No food or drinks are to be consumed on any vehicle
\n\uf0b7 School pupils must not board dedicated school transport or public service vehicles if they or someone in
\ntheir household have symptoms of COVID-19
\n\uf0b7 If a pupil develops symptoms at school, that pupil must be sent home and must not travel on school or
\npublic service transport
\no It is the responsibility of the parents\/carers to make appropriate and safe arrangements to collect
\nthe pupil from school
\no It is strongly advised that a face covering should be worn by the pupil during the arranged journey
\nhome
\n\uf0b7 It is the responsibility of the parents\/carers to ensure that they are clear on whether or not their
\nchild\/children travel on a public service bus during their journey to\/from school. The services allocated to
\neach pupil are noted on their bus pass. Bus passes must be carried at all times to indicate eligibility for
\nservice use. A fare is payable for all non-entitled journeys made on public service buses and will be required
\nif a bus pass is not shown to the driver on boarding. Fares can be paid in cash (exact fare only) or through
\nusing a Local Bus Services card. These cards can be purchased and topped up as necessary on board the
\nbuses. Young Scot cards must be carried as proof of age in order to access a child fare (for those under 16)
\nor to access a 1\/3 discount (for those aged 16-18).<\/p>\n
Dedicated School Transport
\n\uf0b7 Where school pupils travel on a dedicated school transport vehicle to get to\/from school:
\no School pupils are not required to physically distance from other pupils on dedicated school transport
\n\uf0a7 Drivers must be socially distanced from the pupils and any support staff must also be socially
\ndistanced from pupils that they are not required to support during the journey
\no Face coverings are not required for pupils, however any pupil wishing to wear a face covering may
\ndo so
\n\uf0a7 Due to the potential for cross-contamination, face coverings left on board will be disposed of
\nimmediately and will not be treated as lost property
\no Drivers and any support staff will be wearing face masks
\n\uf0a7 Parents are asked to ensure that pupils are aware of this
\no School pupils are requested to sit in the furthest back seat possible upon boarding a dedicated
\nschool transport vehicle
\no Where possible, additional ventilation will be provided on board through the opening of windows or
\nthe use of air conditioning where fitted
\no Good respiratory hygiene must be observed and pupils are encouraged to carry tissues in case of
\ncoughs or sneezes during the journey
\n\uf0a7 All tissues must be removed from the vehicle by pupils and disposed of in a bin at the
\nearliest opportunity
\no Parents\/carers are responsible for ensuring the thorough cleaning of any items of specialist
\nequipment that pupils take to school
\nPublic Transport
\n\uf0b7 Where school pupils travel on a public service bus to get to\/from school:
\no All physical distancing guidance in place at the time of travel must be observed from other
\npassengers (currently 1m in Shetland)
\no Where a zone has been marked out for use by school pupils, this area must be used. Physical
\ndistancing will not be required between school pupils in these zones but face coverings must still be
\nworn due to the proximity to other passengers, following the points noted below:
\no Face coverings must be worn in line with the guidance in place at the time of travel
\n\uf0a7 Temporary face coverings must be disposed of in a bin and not left on the vehicle
\n\uf0a7 Reusable face coverings must be kept in a plastic bag so that they can be taken home safely
\n\uf0a7 Pupils must wash or sanitise their hands after disposing of or bagging their face covering
\n\uf0a7 Due to the potential for cross-contamination, face coverings left on board will be disposed of
\nimmediately and will not be treated as lost property
\no Where possible, additional ventilation will be provided on board through the opening of windows or
\nthe use of air conditioning where fitted
\no Good respiratory hygiene must be observed and pupils are encouraged to carry tissues in case of
\ncoughs or sneezes during the journey
\n\uf0a7 All tissues must be removed from the vehicle by pupils and disposed of in a covered bin at
\nthe earliest opportunity
\nFrequently Asked Questions
\n1. Each year, I apply for the use of a vacant seat on school transport for my child to get to school as they are
\nattending a school outside of their catchment area. How can I apply?
\nDue to capacity constraints on school transport and the necessity to ensure that appropriate social distancing is
\nprovided for the safety of the driver and any support staff on board, the application process for vacant seats is
\ncurrently suspended. Details as to how to apply will be provided when the guidance allows consideration to be given
\nto allocating vacant seats.
\n2. What cleaning regimes are in place on school transport and public bus service vehicles?
\nAll vehicles are wiped down with an appropriate cleaning solution following every journey. This will include the
\nthorough cleaning of all common touch points on board. Vehicles are cleaned further at the end of each day.
\n3. My child is not entitled to school transport and uses the public bus to get to school. What do I need to be
\naware of?
\nPublic bus service capacities remain limited due to social distancing measures on board. Due to the number of public
\nbus passengers and non-entitled school children who may require to use these services, it may not always be possible
\nto socially distance.
\nZetTrans are looking at ways to identify services which are at or are nearing the social distanced capacity and will
\nupdate their website in order to inform passenger choices. This website can be found at www.zettrans.org.uk and
\nthe COVID-19 link is on the bar at the top of the page.
\nIt should also be noted that public bus services are changing from Monday 17th August 2020. All new timetables will
\nbe available on the ZetTrans website and on the ZetTrans App in the coming days.
\n4. My child is entitled to school transport and this is provided through use of the public service bus. I am
\nconcerned about the capacity of the bus and whether or not my child will be able to distance appropriately
\nfrom other people. What is being done about this?
\nThe capacities on public bus services utilised in the provision of school transport have been examined and assessed.
\nIn cases where it is clear that social distancing will not be possible, additional dedicated school transport
\narrangements will be made. Pick up times and locations will remain the same as previously advised. In cases where
\npassenger figures indicate that there will be sufficient capacity, pupils will remain on these services. Where possible,
\npupil zones will be marked out in the vehicles. Continued monitoring will be carried out to ensure that any future
\nneed for additional measures are identified and actioned quickly.
\nAny parent\/carer whose child is in receipt of additional support needs transport will be contacted directly by staff in
\nthe Transport Planning Service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
School Transport Guidance for Parents and Carers \u2013 Shetland 3 August 2020 Instructions for All Pupils Entitled to School Transport \uf0b7 Hand sanitisation is required prior to boarding all vehicles o It is the responsibility of the parents\/carers to ensure that pupils have access to hand sanitiser for this purpose and particular consideration must be … Continue reading Transport Guidance<\/span>