Rules for Calderdale school bus services and pupils wearing masks on them

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has been working with local councils and transport operators to ensure students can travel safely and observe social distancing when schools and colleges reopen in September.

Here are the answers to questions you may have regarding the operation of your school bus service and what to expect when travelling on board the bus.

Will school buses be operating as usual from September? Are there any service changes?

There will be some extra duplicate services on networks where there is a high demand and some services may be re-routed or re-numbered. To find out about the impacted services click hereWill the regular service buses still operate? Are there any additional services? What if my child is unable to board?

Extra school buses may be provided at schools with a heavy reliance on the on the public transport network.

However, this will not apply at every school.

In most cases, children and young people who are not able to walk or cycle to school will be able to travel on public transport as normal.

Where extra school bus services are provided, students will be required to pay a fare or scan a prepaid ticket as they would on their normal bus or train journey.

Social distancing rules remain on regular service buses.

Metro has said that whilst every effort is being made to plan for resilience in the service bus network, due to capacity restrictions and the network being shared with other commuters, a seat cannot be guaranteed.

Metro is encouraging parents/carers to plan for such circumstances and have alternative arrangements in place.

Will there be social distancing on school bus services?

To provide some separation of year groups, older students are encouraged to travel on the top deck of double deck buses or towards the back of single deck buses and coaches, leaving the remaining seats for younger students.

On some school services, a small number of students may be required to stand.

Do face coverings have to be worn? Are there any exceptions?

Face coverings will be required for children aged 11 and above, unless exempted for medical or other reasons.

Where this is the case, parents should download a Travel Assistance Card, which can be shown to the driver.

Children under 11 do not have to wear a face covering. However, on primary school services, if a parent/carer wishes to board the bus, for example, to assist their young child with a seat belt, then the adult must also wear a face covering.

In all cases, face coverings are not provided by the bus operators or WYCA.

How will these rules be enforced?

Parents should note that it will not be the driver’s’ job to enforce the wearing of face coverings or to tell students where they should sit or stand on the bus.

Parents are asked to encourage their children to behave responsibly when boarding and alighting from the bus and throughout the journey.

How will buses be cleaned? Will hand sanitizer be provided?

Although school buses will be cleaned thoroughly and more frequently, sanitisers might not be available on every journey.

Students are therefore encouraged to wash their hands thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds using soap and water) before and after every journey and carry sanitising gels with them in their school bag.

Are cash fares still available?

Cash fares can be purchased as normal on school buses, but students are encouraged to use cashless fare options where possible, such as the MCard products for young people.

Please be aware that some operators have an ‘exact fare only’ policy and no change will be given.

A Photo ID will not be required to obtain the concessionary half fare.