Dene Magna School
Commercial Routes

Firstly, we would like to apologise for the delay in releasing information regarding the ticket sales for GR4/GR5 - Dene Magna School. There are a few factors that have contributed to this, however, we are now happy to inform you all.

This year we have worked tirelessly in conjunction with Gloucestershire County Council to ensure that we can provide the most space possible based on the interest that we are aware of. We have made some changes to our routes, to hopefully cope with demand, of which are detailed below. 

We will be offering an annual ticket, which can either be paid for in one payment, or in monthly instalments. The total cost of using either of our services will be £790.00 per school year (September to July). We have deffered an increase for this academic year and are offering our ticket price at the same rate as 2023/24.

Below we will detail the processes for purchasing tickets for the 2024/25 academic year. If you have been a customer during the 2023/24 academic year, please skip to the renewals section.

2024/25 Changes

We have implemented a few changes for the new academic year, of which we would like to make you aware.

Changes to Stops/Timetables

In order to create as much space as possible, more specifically for GR4 to be able to hopefully meet the demand, we have made a couple of changes to our timetables and stops served.

GR4

This service will now only board students as far as Cinderford, Hastings Road. For all of the stops below students will be required to have a ticket for and travel on GR5*:

• Cinderford, Station Street

• Cinderford, Surgery

• Cinderford, Forest of Dean Community Hospital

• Steam Mills, Garage

*If you are renewing a GR4 ticket from 2023/24 for any of these stops, details of how to purchase a GR5 Ticket are included in your renewal email.

GR5

In addition to the changes to GR4, we have also modified the timetable for GR5. This service will now also serve the following stops, in order to allow it to carry passengers from a wider area to allow for expected demand:

• Cinderford, Woodlands

• Cinderford, by Brook

• Cinderford, opp Forest View Park

• Cinderford, opp Hastings Road

You may have also noticed, that although our stops are broadly the same, some have changed name to the official Bus Stop name, to match our registration with the Traffic Commisionner. If you are unsure with any of the stops, please refer to the maps below.

New Year 11 Ticket

We have decided this year to release a ticket, specifically for Year 11 students. This ticket has a discount, to account for the fact that students will not be travelling for the whole of the academic year, due to them finishing their exams in June. Therefore, this ticket will be vaid from Wednesday 4th September 2024 until Friday 27th June 2025. The full cost of the ticket is £725.30. As per our normal ticket this can either be paid for in one payment, or in monthly instalments (1 x Deposit @ £72.53 + 9 x Monthly Payments @ £72.53 (September - May)).

New Ticket Sales

Tickets will only be able to be purchased from our website, www.grindlescoaches.co.uk. The portal will open from Thursday 1st August 2024 and spaces will be available on a first come, first served basis. We will offer an annual ticket. The annual ticket can either be paid for in one payment, or by monthly instalments using Direct Debit.

We fully appreciate the financial pressures that the country is currently facing and the burden that the cost of school transport is. We recommend that you check with Gloucestershire County Council if you think you may be eligible for free transport before purchasing a ticket.

Renewals

If you are a current customer, having purchased a ticket for the 2023/24 academic year, you will be given a chance to renew your ticket. A link will be emailed to the email address on file, with a link to purchase a ticket for the 2024/25 academic year. If you have not received this link by the afternoon of Monday 29th July 2024 please contact us on hometoschool@grindlescoaches.co.uk.

Direct Debit Payments

We have ensured to implement a system which facilitates the option to pay in instalments. The first payment (£69.94) will be taken shortly after you sign up. This is to secure your ticket. A further 11 monthly payments of £65.46 will commence in September. Your last payment will be in July.

If you sign up late, i.e end of August/beginning of September, the deposit payment will be very close to the first Direct Debit payment so we advise that tickets are purchased as early as possible.

Tickets

Tickets will be issued immediately after purchase, in the form of a QR code, which the student will use to scan upon boarding the bus for each journey. It is recommended that this QR code is also printed and kept in their bag/wallet, should the phone not work, or run out of battery. A printed ticket can also be used as a permanent solution for any child that does not have a mobile phone. It is possible to retrieve your QR Code/Ticket at any time from the Shuttle ID Passenger Portal in case of being lost/misplaced.

The scanner will only scan the code once for that journey, it cannot be shared. No ticket = No travel.

Vouchers

The vouchers capability allows anybody to purchase a voucher for either the full or partial amount, and then be used to purchase a ticket. This is ideal if you wish to split the cost between multiple parties. Simply purchase a voucher, pass it onto the person buying the ticket, who will then only pay the difference.

Moving Schools During Academic Year

Should your child stop attending Dene Magna School please email us at hometoschool@grindlescoaches.co.uk. We may, at our sole discretion, consider a refund where there are exceptional circumstances, such as; moving house, changing schools etc. It will be necessary to provide documentary evidence of such circumstances to our satisfaction.

Waiting List

If you are unsuccessful at purchasing a ticket, please register on our waiting list. By registering and gauging your interest, it will help us to be able to make an informed decision as to whether there are viable possibilities of meeting demand. 

Terms and Conditions of Travel

We strongly recommend and advise that before purchasing a ticket you read and understand our terms and conditions of travel. These can be found on our website.

Please email us at hometoschool@grindlescoaches.co.uk if you have any questions or queries.

Benefits of ShuttleID

The benefits of this new system include;

Improved communication - Be the first to know when a bus is running late with our SMS based service alerts.

Effortless payments - Payments that manage themselves without the stress of having to find the right change every week.

Safety first - No physical cash to touch and tickets are scanned up to a foot away from the device, helping distance your child and our staff.

Never lose your ticket - With 24/7 access to your ticket in the Passenger Portal, you’ll always be able to access your ticket on your phone or printed out, putting a stop to replacement ticket fees.

Safeguarding - Rest assured that we know if your child has boarded our bus and when.

A fairer system - Technology helps ensure every passenger is a valid paying customer which ensures everyone gets a fair price.

Convenient ticket purchasing - No longer restricted to just office hours, you can now buy your tickets 24/7.

Simple renewals - Renewing your ticket is as easy as a single button press.

The purchase of a ticket is a simple process, however, there are links to tutorials and help pages on our website, should you have an issue.