Name of the Organization : East Sussex County Council
Type of Facility : Request A Seat On A School Vehicle
Country : United Kingdom
Request A Seat On A School Vehicle :
1. Who can apply?
** Any child who is not eligible for free school transport and who does not have access to a public transport route, may request a seat on a paying basis on our contracted transport where it exists.
Related : East Sussex County Council Applying for and using an Older or Disabled Person’s Bus Pass : www.statusin.org/25065.html
** We can only offer vacant seats on our existing vehicles which means we may not be able to offer a seat to everyone.
Before applying :
** check if your child is eligible for free transport
** check Traveline to see if your journey can be made using public transport.
2. Which schools have contracted vehicles?
The following schools have contracted school coaches and minibuses where seats can be purchased :
Primary schools :
** Alfriston School
** Burwash C E Primary School
** Chyngton Primary School
** Dallington CE School
** Hamsey CP School
** Laughton Community Primary School
** Little Horsted C of E Primary
** Ninfield C of E Primary School
** Rye Community Primary School
** St Peter’s C of E Primary School (Chailey)
Secondary schools :
** Beacon Academy
** Chailey School
** Claverham Community College
** Heathfield Community College
** Ringmer Community College
** Robertsbridge Community College
** Uckfield Community Technology College
** Uplands Community College
3. How much does it cost?
September 2015 to July 2016 Prices :
** Secondary school children – £124 per term (6 terms per year), subsequent children from the same family are £93 per term
** Primary school children – £62 per term (6 terms per year), subsequent children from the same family are £46 per term
September 2016 to July 2017 Prices :
** Secondary school children – £126.50 per term (6 terms per year), subsequent children from the same family are £94.88 per term
** Primary school children – £63.25 per term (6 terms per year), subsequent children from the same family are £47.44 per term
4. Terms and conditions of the scheme :
Priority for seats :
If there are more applications than seats available by the deadline prior to the start of the academic year :
** If students are attending their designated school but do not qualify for free school transport, then those living furthest from the school are given priority.
** If students are not attending their designated school, then those living nearest to the school are given priority.
** Applications received after any given deadline will have lowest priority.
Conditions of travel :
** Agreement to travel is given for not more than one school year at a time.
** Agreement to travel may be withdrawn at any time, for example, because there are no longer any students who are entitled to free travel, or the seat is needed for a child entitled to free travel.
** Exceptions may be made for post-16 passengers.
** Students are expected to behave appropriately when travelling.
** Students should arrive at their pick-up point in good time each morning.
** The vehicle will not normally be able to wait, as most vehicles must run to a timetable and must collect other passengers.
** Occasionally, the vehicle may be delayed due to traffic conditions, so students should be prepared to wait for up to 20 minutes for the vehicle to arrive.
** They should, therefore, be prepared for the weather conditions.
** Because a student is able to travel in one school year, it cannot be assumed that this will be possible in subsequent years.
Charge for Travel :
** A flat rate charge is payable in advance each term.
** A reduced rate applies for the second child and subsequent children travelling in the same family, provided at least one is paying the full rate.
** There is no reduced rate if a student travels for only part of the term, except where the student enters or permanently leaves the scheme part-way through a term.
** There is no reduced rate in cases of exceptional circumstances e.g. inclement weather/vehicle breakdown etc.
** Refunds are not normally made where, for example, a student is absent from school on a temporary basis.
Payment for Travel :
** Payment for at least one term’s travel must accompany the completed application form.
** For future terms, letters (and application forms) are sent to parents automatically.
** If payment for any term is not received, no permit will be sent and the student will not be permitted to travel on the vehicle.
** Late payments will delay the issue of the permit.
** All payments, including any debts for previous terms, must be paid up to date before new permits can be issued.
Withdrawal from the scheme :
** Where students no longer need to use a vehicle, parents must let us know immediately, and return the permit.
** This helps to avoid depriving another child of that seat and also avoids payment being charged for the remainder of the term.
** Refunds are calculated from the date the unwanted permit is received in our department.
** Occasions do arise where it is necessary, sometimes at short notice, to withdraw the right for a student to travel during a school year.
** An appropriate refund would be given.
** If a student cannot continue to travel, their parents must make their own alternative arrangements.
** The County Council cannot help arrange, or pay for these.
5. Request a seat on a vehicle :
** In year seat requests will be reviewed as soon as we can and you should expect a response in 10 working days.
** When requesting a seat on our transport for a new school year in September, you should appreciate that our response times between July and October will be longer.
** As a priority we have to work on placing all pupils and students who qualify for assistance with transport.
** We also may be changing the routes serving the school and vehicles can be withdrawn.