Home to school transport code of conduct and general guidelines

We provide assistance with school transport for approximately 18,000 pupils travelling on around 850 different buses, minibuses and taxis each day.

We take care to ensure that all school services are safe and reliable by:

a programme of safety checks on the quality of school transport
reliability monitoring at schools
DBS checks on drivers
providing guidance and training to contractors on how to deal properly with problems
providing a seat for each pupil
providing seat belts for most children and all primary school children where primary school children are the main users of a service
where we consider a change of arrangements to be significant we will notify parents in advance

You have the right to expect a vehicle which is properly maintained and driven by a person who is qualified and will treat your child appropriately. If you don’t get that you need to tell us.

The transport company has a right to expect that your child will behave responsibly and that you will support and reinforce the need to do so. The council has produced a behaviour policy document to address various behavioural issues and copies are available at the school or The Education Office 01609 533693.

Generally the standard of behaviour on our vehicles is acceptable. There are however occasions when poor behaviour by a minority of pupils spoils the journey for others. At its worst this can result in damage to vehicles and safety being compromised. When this does happen we work closely with schools to identify and deal with the pupils responsible.

We also need your help to ensure that your child knows how to behave on school buses.

This leaflet gives general guidance about school transport and includes a code of conduct.

By using a school transport service you are accepting the following code of conduct about children’s behaviour and the sanctions that could be used when the code of conduct is not followed. If you are not prepared to accept the code of conduct please let us know in writing.

Code of conduct

behave properly at all times, do not fight or cause annoyance to other people
keep noise at a reasonable level
take care when boarding and alighting, do not push
wear a seat belt at all times where one is provided
remain seated until it is time to get off
after leaving the vehicle, wait until it has moved away before crossing the road
do not smoke on school transport
do not leave litter, take it with you
if there is a problem/incident children must listen to the driver and follow their instructions

If there are complaints that involve your child these will normally be investigated through the school. If your child is found to have behaved in an unacceptable way then any of the normal range of sanctions used by the school may be applied. This could include exclusion from school. In addition the following may also be applied:

your child may be asked to sit at the front of the vehicle for a set period of time
your child may be suspended from all school transport services for a period of time
the police may be asked to investigate and take action as appropriate
you will be expected to meet the cost of repairing any damage caused by your child

General guidelines

These are more general guidance notes that will help ensure that school transport continues to be a safe way to travel to school.

arrange to be at the bus stop five minutes before the transport is due to arrive
it is your responsibility to take and collect young children from the agreed pick‐up point
do not leave young children unsupervised
in the morning children should not wait longer than 15 minutes after the vehicle is due before seeking help - contact Integrated Passenger Transport
to travel free on a school bus you must have a valid permit. If your child does not show the driver a valid permit they may be charged for the journey
make sure your child knows what to do if the transport is late or does not arrive
teach your child how to cross the road to/ from the bus stop
make sure your child knows the safest route to/from home if they are unaccompanied
ensure your child knows that seat belts, where fitted, must be worn
beware of coats and bags catching in doors

If you are not sure of the pick‐up point or time contact the contractor in the first instance.

Contact us

North Yorkshire Council Integrated Passenger Transport

County Hall,
Northallerton,
DL7 8AH

Replacement Bus Passes

Replacement bus passes form

Further information can be found on the school transport page.

Our Customer Service Centre is open Monday to Friday 8.00am ‐ 5.30pm (closed weekends and bank holidays).

If you would like this information in another language or format such as Braille, large print or audio, please ask us.

Website and telephone payments Friday 26 April