School transport (September 2023) FAQs

All eligible learners will receive a letter from the local authority’s School Transport Team prior to the start of the new school year in September 2023.

Some children may be provided with an alternative vehicle e.g. minibus or taxi at the discretion of the local authority or to meet individual needs.

In most cases, where space is available, siblings or pupils from the same household can sit together.  

Learners in primary schools who are eligible for home-to-school transport need to be accompanied to and from their nearest bus stop/pick-up point by a responsible adult.

Secondary school learners do not need to be accompanied.

There is no statutory requirement to provide escorts, although the local authority will assess the needs of learners and determine the appropriateness and availability of escorts in all cases.

Secondary school pupils who do not present their pass on entry of a school transport vehicle will be refused entry.  It is the responsibility of parents/carers to ensure their child has their bus pass with them at all times and to arrange onwards travel to school if their child is refused entry to a school transport vehicle by a driver.

Yes, the local authority is able to consider applications for discretionary transport. A discretionary school transport application form is available on request by contacting pupilservices@bridgend.gov.uk

The ‘paying place’ scheme is currently suspended until there is further clarity on the exemption of school transport vehicles under the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR).

Please ensure that your child has their bus pass before they leave home every day. It is essential that your child knows what to do in the event they have forgotten or lost their pass and are refused travel.  This could be returning home, telephoning you as the parent/carer or going to a relative’s home.  If a pupil is refused entry onto a school bus because they do not have a valid pass, it is a parent’s responsibility to ensure that they get to school.

Please talk to your child about maintaining social distancing, hygiene and good behaviour when using school transport.  It is very important that children board and alight any school transport calmly and safely and remain seated at all times.  

Any instruction from the bus driver or an escort (where provided) should be followed. Any poor behaviour will not be tolerated and any child who puts another occupant at risk may lose their entitlement to free transport.

Nursery pupils benefit from dedicated vehicles and therefore it is not possible for older siblings in Reception year or above, to travel on dedicated nursery vehicles.

Unfortunately, the local authority is unable to make any exceptions for any domestic circumstances.  

There is no application process, as we will notify you by letter if your child is eligible for free transport.

No. Bus passes will be sent to all secondary schools and can be collected from the school reception during the first week of term.

However, your child must not attempt to travel on a school bus unless they are entitled to do so.  Any pupil attempting to board a school transport vehicle unless they are eligible to do so, may face disciplinary action.

Bus passes will be sent to all secondary schools and can be collected from the school reception during the first week of term.

You must notify the school and request that they inform the School Transport team. If you still qualify under the current eligibility criteria, we will contact you to confirm this.

Only permanent established living arrangements will be considered in relation to dual-resident pupils, and proof of dual-residence must be provided.

If a child stays at more than one address for a period of time, a different school may become their nearest suitable school. If this is the case, your child will no longer be entitled to free transport for the duration of their stay at the alternative address.  If the school your child attends is the nearest suitable school to both addresses, then free school transport will be provided. This is subject to meeting the relevant distance requirement in the local authority’s Home-to-School/College Transport Policy.

If you place your child in a school which is not considered their nearest suitable school (catchment school), then free home-to-school transport will not be provided.

You can visit the school transport bus route pages. After school drop-off times aren’t published, but you can request estimated times for your child's route from the bus operator directly.

For pupils not entitled to free school transport, details of public routes are on the Traveline Cymru website.

No. Pupils must walk to their designated bus pick-up location. However, some smaller vehicles eg taxis, may arrange to pick up your child at your home address. 

Pupils are advised to be at their bus stop 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time. If the bus fails to arrive after 20 minutes, pupils should follow the guidance notes on the reverse of their bus pass. They should ring the number printed and wait for instructions from the School Transport team.

School transport will only pick-up and drop-off pupils at their designated bus stop/pick-up point. The school transport operator or driver are not able to authorise any other address or drop-off point.

No. Each school route has an individual contract number, and only pupils issued with a pass for that route may travel. Any child attempting to board the wrong bus will be turned away.

Parents and carers of primary school children must ensure that their child gets on and off school transport safely. A responsible adult must be available at least 10 minutes before the agreed pick-up times as noted on the school bus timetable.

Should a responsible adult not be at the designated stop to meet a primary age child, the child will stay on the bus while it completes its route. It will then return to the child’s stop. If the responsible adult is still not there, the child will be taken to the nearest police station.

In the event of this pass being lost, stolen or damaged you will need to contact the school reception, who will give you further advice on what to do. There may be a charge for a replacement bus pass, so it is very important the pass is kept safe and secure.

Please inform the school and request that they inform the School Transport Team for further advice.

Pupils must only attempt to travel on the school transport vehicle they have been allocated a seat on.

Contact the School Transport team to check the status of your child’s transport arrangements.

E: schooltransport@bridgend.gov.uk.

Parents and carers must make sure that equipment is suitably maintained to ensure their child can travel safely. Wheelchairs should be fitted with the appropriate headrest, restraints and anchor points, inflated tyres, adjusted brakes and a charged power pack, where applicable.

Medication is permitted on school transport. Please ensure that medication is in a secure container in your child’s school bag, where other children can’t access it. The driver and escort must be notified that medicine is being transported.

However, the driver or escort cannot administer medication under any circumstances. In an emergency, they will stop, and call 999 for assistance.

If a pupil is excluded from school transport, the pupil’s parents or carers will be notified of the duration and reason in writing. Parents and carers will need to make alternative arrangements for the period so the pupil continues to attend school.

Damage to the operator’s vehicle may result in the operator recovering the cost of repairs from the child’s parents or carers.

In the event of this pass being lost, stolen or damaged, you will need to contact the school reception, who will give you further advice on what to do. There may be a charge for a replacement bus pass, so it is very important the pass is kept safe and secure.

There may be a charge for a replacement bus pass, so it is very important the pass is kept safe and secure.

No. Pupils must only travel on the vehicle their pass indicates.

Local authority staff will carry out regular checks throughout the year.