Dear parents/ carer,
Please read the important information below from Arriva Buses regarding contactless payments and dedicated buses for school students, please ensure you have shared this information with your child if he/ she travels to school on an Arriva bus.
Kind regards,
Alison Brannick
Update from Arriva buses
Please rest assured that all our buses are Covid-19 secure and undergo enhanced touchpoint cleaning each day. Good ventilation of fresh air is also ensured by keeping windows open wherever possible.
To help reduce the amount of physical contact between pupils and drivers, we are asking pupils to only use contactless payment or pre- purchase tickets via the Arriva UK Bus app. Cash will only be accepted as a form of payment in exceptional circumstances and where the correct fare can be paid, our drivers will not be able to provide change at this time.
A reminder on bus travel that are operating slightly differently, details of which are outlined below:
We will have buses reserved for school, sixth form and college pupils only, the route number for these services will begin with an “S”. Pupils from any year group and from any school or college located on the route can travel on these buses. If pupils from your school do need to travel on the same bus as those from another school, we are asking them to sit with those from their own school, ideally from their own year group. Where possible we are asking pupils to maintain social distancing, although capacity on these buses will be increased allowing students to sit next to each other and standing if necessary. The seats behind the driver and any facing each other will be marked off and should not be used. Government guidance is that all pupils over the age of 11 must wear a face covering, exemptions apply. We encourage pupils to also carry hand sanitiser with them and use it before getting on and off the bus wherever possible.
To help increase capacity, we will be adding in additional journeys on certain services and in some cases, we will be running two buses at the same time so that both those travelling to and from school or college and keyworkers travelling to and from work can do so safely. Some buses running will be supplied by the local authority and will not look like an Arriva bus. As per government guidelines, social distancing will be required on these services and is clearly marked out onboard. All those over 11 must wear a face covering, exemptions apply
If the route your pupils usually travel on does not begin with an “S” it means that there is no dedicated school bus. They can still use this normal service to travel to school or college, and we have ensured there is plenty of capacity on these services. As per government guidelines, social distancing will be required on these services and is clearly marked out onboard. All those over 11 must wear a face covering, exemptions apply.
Full timetable details can be found in the Arriva UK Bus app which is free to download from the app store or via www.arrivabus.co.uk/help/coronavirus/coronavirus-timetable-information