School Transport
Student Code of Conduct

We want you and all other passengers to stay safe and travel in comfort. You must agree to the following code of conduct before we issue your bus pass. Your school and parents (or carers) will be alerted if you do not keep to the code and we may have to withdraw your transport assistance.

Your pass/e-ticket

• Your digital or printed pass/e-ticket is your proof of entitlement. Please have it available and scan when boarding the bus for each journey.

• If you cannot present a digital or printed pass/e-ticket, the bus driver has no proof that you are entitled to travel and is not obliged to allow you on board, whether or not you have been granted assistance.

• Only use your pass to travel on the route that you have been assigned.

• Do not use anyone else’s pass or allow another person to use yours. It is your responsibility to protect your own bus pass, and it will be your responsibility to compensate the bus operator for any trips claimed fraudulently under your name.

Your pick-up point. 

• You are responsible for getting to your bus pick-up point. Arrive at the pick-up point at least five minutes before the vehicle is due to arrive.

• If transport is late for any reason, service alerts will be sent to your parents. We will keep them updated on when the bus is expected to arrive.be prepared to wait at the pick-up point for 20 minutes but no longer. 

• You may only board transport from the pick-up point you have been assigned. If there are extenuating circumstances please contact us to agree on an alternative.

Keeping safe when getting on and off the bus

• Queue sensibly, well away from the edge of the road, taking care not to block the payment if there is one.

• Get on and off the bus in an orderly way so you don’t hurt yourself or other passengers.

• If you need to cross the road once you have left the bus, wait for the bus to drive away so you can see other vehicles and their drivers can see you.

On the bus

• Sit safely in your seat once you are on the bus and use a seatbelt if one is provided.

• Do not distract the driver unless there is an emergency.

• Do not stand in front of the driver, in the aisle or on the stairwell.

• Do not use emergency exits or doors unless the driver instructs you to or there is a genuine emergency.

• Do not eat, drink or smoke (including e-cigarettes) on the bus.

• Do not use obscene or abusive language.

• Bullying will not be tolerated.

• Physical aggression of any kind will not be tolerated.

• You must not behave in a way that may cause direct harm to other passengers.

• You must not behave in a way that will make other passengers feel unsafe or less comfortable.

• You must not deliberately jeopardise your own safety or the safety of other passengers.

• You must not encourage, coerce or equip other passengers to do anything that may jeopardise their own safety or that of other passengers.

• Do not carry real or replica weapons.

• Do not throw, kick or otherwise launch objects across the bus – if you need to deliver something to another passenger, please remain in your seat and pass it by hand.

• Do not destroy, deface or deliberately soil any part of the bus. If damage is caused not only will the police be contacted but you will be liable for the full costs of repair and any fees incurred in recovering such costs.

• Do not use a mobile phone (or other electronic device) to produce images, videos or audio recordings of the driver or other transport users.

• Follow the driver’s instructions at all times.

Please be aware of monitoring the behaviour of passengers using CCTV. CCTV footage may be consulted as evidence if it is alleged that the code of conduct has been breached.

Reporting Unacceptable Behaviour

The Code of Conduct exists to ensure that pupils feel safe on board transport provided by Grindles Coaches Ltd, so it is important to us that if you have a concern about behaviour on one of our services you can easily report it.

If you are concerned about behaviour on your (or your child’s) school bus, please send your report to the email address hometoschool@grindlescoaches.co.uk. Your report should include:

• The name of the school

• The date and time of the journey on which the incident occurred

• Your child’s name

Please note that although Grindles Coaches Ltd does cooperate with the school to investigate reports of poor behaviour, transport bans are at Grindles Coaches Ltd exclusive discretion.

All reports will remain anonymous; the name of the complainant will not be disclosed to other transport users.

Updates to the Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct is a live document, and will be updated routinely over the course of a school year. Updates will usually be issued in June and December, but may be published at any point. It is the responsibility of each transport user to ensure they have read and understand the most recent copy of the code before travelling. The latest edition will always be available via our website – visit www.grindlescoaches.co.uk/schools

If you would like to withdraw from home-to-school transport following an update to our terms, please contact hometoschool@grindlescoaches.co.uk.

Sanctions for Unacceptable Behaviour

From time to time it is necessary to impose sanctions on children and young people who fail to conform to an acceptable standard of behaviour.

A parent or legal guardian must take responsibility for their children’s behaviour on the way to and from school. It is their duty to ensure that their children understand why it is essential to behave properly in the transport provided. Young people over the age of 16 are responsible for their own behaviour and we expect them to adhere to the code of conduct independently. Poor behaviour, especially that which puts at risk the safety of any other child, driver or road user, will lead to a ban on use of the transport provided. The responsibility to transport a banned child to school is transferred to the child’s parent or legal guardian.

We will investigate any complaint received from any other party, and be seen to act against anyone who contravenes the policies and agreements entered into. We will not ban pupils before discussing any proposed action with the head teacher of the school involved.

As part of our commitment to providing a safe environment for the transport of children and young people to and from school, we have determined a procedure for dealing with cases of poor behaviour reported to us, and have adopted the following list of sanctions that may be applied in certain circumstances. This is not an exhaustive list, nor is it a definitive statement that in every case the sanction indicated will be applied regardless of other circumstances. Each case will be considered on its individual merits, in consultation with the school.

Guidelines for first offences

1 Day Ban

Unhygienic behaviour, including: consuming or spilling food or drink, littering, spitting.

1 Week Ban

Self-endangerment or mischief, including: distracting driver, misuse of bell, not wearing a seatbelt (where seatbelts are available), leaving seat while the vehicle is moving.

1 Month Ban

Activities that affect, threaten or endanger others, including: bullying or fighting other passengers, misuse of emergency exit, chronic and ongoing poor behaviour.

1 Term Ban

Hazardous or criminal activities, including: assault of the driver or another passenger, possession of drugs, damage to vehicle, using or intending to use weaponry.

Please note that these are only guidelines; all bans are determined on a case-by-case basis. Where passengers who have previously been assigned bans continue to offend, they should expect longer bans than described above. For example, a passenger who repeats an offence that resulted in a 1 Week ban may subsequently be banned for 1 Month, or a passenger who has received several 1 Week bans may be banned permanently upon committing a 1 Term offence.

When enforcing transport bans, no distinction will be made between bullying and “banter.” The difference between benign and spiteful behaviour can be difficult to judge and is usually irrelevant (as light-hearted misbehaviour is often no less dangerous or distracting). We will not consider whether a rule breach was teasing rather than torment, even where it is relatively clear.

Criminal Offences

Any criminal offences that result in a ban may also be reported to the police. The following behaviours are likely to result in criminal investigation.

• Damage to vehicles, e.g. graffiti, vandalism.

• Gaining fraudulent access to the vehicle (using an expired pass, another pupil’s pass, etc).

• Possession or use of drugs.

• Possession or use of offensive weapons (including replicas).

• Assault on drivers, Gloucestershire County Councile pass holders or other fare paying passengers on commercial routes.

Notifications

We will investigate the incident, including the recovery of any CCTV footage, and enforce the appropriate ban outlined above as necessary. Parents will be notified of this action by letter, or where an instant ban is justified, by telephone and later confirmed in writing. It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to transport the child to school whilst the ban is in place.