East Ayrshire Council is responsible for the safety of children and drivers on school transport and we take this responsibility very seriously.
However, parents are responsible for the behaviour of their children on school transport. Any misbehaviour which could put the safety of others at risk may result in the confiscation of travel passes for a period of time or even permanently. This includes smoking on school buses. The Council and contractors operate a no smoking policy.
In the event of confiscation, parents have the responsibility of ensuring that their children continue to attend school.
Contractors may pursue parents for payment for repairs in the event of any damage done to a vehicle by their children.
The travel pass must be shown when boarding each vehicle each day and pupils should therefore carry the pass at all times. If the pass is lost, damaged or stolen, this should be reported to the school immediately. A charge will be made for each replacement pass issued.
Travel passes remain the property of the Council and must be produced on demand to the driver or representatives of the Council.
Parental responsibility
When a child does not qualify for free transport it is parental responsibility to ensure the child arrives to and from school safely. Similarly, when a child is entitled to free transport or travels to school on a fare paying vehicle the parent is responsible to see the child arrives and boards the transport in the morning safely and is collected from the transport in the afternoon. Should transport fail to arrive in the morning it is the parental responsibility to ensure that the child may return home or to another suitable address. Parents must ensure that their children adopt an acceptable standard of behaviour whilst travelling on the transport.
If you’d like more information about the management and operation of school transport, or have any other comments or queries contact us on the undernoted details.