Use this page to deal with queries or problems with your child's transport service between home and school. Select a topic below to read more detail.
We will make arrangements for the most appropriate vehicle to provide your child's transport between home and school, and will inform you in writing what this will be before the start of the school term. Depending on the number of seats needed, this may be a taxi, minibus, coach or public service bus.
The safety and well-being of pupils on school transport is our top priority, and only companies who have qualified on our framework of approved suppliers are allowed to fulfil home to school transport contracts. To qualify, they must show that they meet our standards for health and safety, financial security, vehicle safety, insurance and driver regulations. We also issue all drivers with a handbook which explains the expected standards of driver behaviour and customer awareness, as well as how to deal safely with incidents on board, such as pupil misbehaviour.
Schools have responsibility for the behaviour of their children on the way to and from school, including while travelling on home to school transport. Please report any incidents of misbehaviour or bullying to the school in the first instance, and then contact our Passenger Transport team (see details below).
We expect high standards of reliability from our transport providers. Though we make every effort to minimise it, you may occasionally experience unexpected delays or problems. Please wait for 10 minutes after the normal scheduled pick-up time. If the transport has still not arrived, or if the transport is regularly more than a few minutes late, please contact us to let us know.
Sometimes, delays or route changes are beyond our control, due to road closures. We generally receive advance warning when these are scheduled repairs, and will notify you with as much notice as we can if this will affect your child. This may mean a temporary change in pick-up or drop-off points and times.
In the event of an emergency, roads may be closed without notice, possibly causing delays. Where possible, we will publish emergency closures on our Facebook page. Please contact us if you are concerned at any time about the late arrival of your child.
Extreme weather, such as snow or flooding, may affect school transport, or even cause schools to be closed at short notice. Please listen to your local radio station to check if your child's school has to close. Details are also usually available on the school's website. If you are still unsure if the service is running, please contact us. Our service operators may cancel the morning school journey at short notice, if they feel that they cannot guarantee a safe journey in the day's weather conditions. If your child travels to school on a public transport route, please contact the operator for the latest information about the service.
If necessary, your child will receive a bus pass to show they are entitled to free school transport. They must keep this with them at all times, and may not be allowed to travel without it. When the pass first arrives, check to make sure that the details on it are correct. If anything is wrong, please contact us, and we will arrange a replacement. If your child's pass is lost or becomes damaged, they will need a replacement. For private routes with specially hired school transport vehicles, temporary bus passes are available at the reception at your school. These are valid for up to two weeks, to give you time to arrange for a replacement pass, which costs £10. You can get this by calling us and paying over the phone, or sending us a cheque. Please see our contact details below.
If your child no longer needs their bus pass for any reason, please let us know. In some cases, you will need to return a valid bus pass to us.
We will need advance notice if a friend of your child's (such as a foreign exchange student) needs to travel with them to school on a school vehicle. If there are seats available, this is allowed on an occasional or temporary basis. We do not normally allow parents to accompany children on school transport, unless there are exceptional circumstances. Please contact us for more details if necessary.
You can contact us if you have concerns about any area of school transport.
By phone
You can call us on 01225 394 347 during normal office hours
By email
Send us a message at passenger_transport@bathnes.gov.uk
By post
Passenger Transport
Bath & North East Somerset Council
Lewis House, Manvers Street
Bath BA1 1JG
For minor problems, such as property left on the bus, we may give you the contact details of the bus operator, so that you can arrange to collect it directly from them.
Get in touch immediately if you are worried or concerned about your child's well-being, including the behaviour of the other passengers or the safety or reliability of the vehicle. We will aim to address the situation quickly and effectively. The sooner we are aware of a problem, the quicker we can act to rectify it.