Frequently asked questions

The school bus addresses a variety of very important concerns:

• Safety: School buses are one of the safest form of transport for students – and many times safer than travelling in the family car or travelling independently.
• Traffic: Each school bus route normally takes an average of 20 to 36 cars off the road, morning and afternoon.
• Environment: By taking the above cars off the road, each school bus route run, drastically reduce emissions that stem not only from vehicles that drive to and from school, but also from vehicles otherwise idling outsie schools.
• Equal Access to Education: For many children, school buses are the only way they can reliably, safely, and consistently get to and from school.

According to general statistics, most children fatalities during normal school travel hours were in cars driven by an adult. Children travelling on school buses accounted for less than 1% of such fatalities. Simply put, school buses are THE SAFEST mode of transportation for kids traveling to and from school.

In addition to their rigorous training, they participate in pre-employment, random and post-accident drug and alcohol testing, undergo frequent driving record checks, and pass periodic medical exams to ensure they are physically qualified. The drivers also have an annual driving assessment.

School bus drivers are some of the most highly trained, tested and scrutinized drivers on the road.

Once they have their licenses and pass their DBS Enhance checks, drivers receive specialised training on Safeguarding, and 1st Aid. 

School bus drivers are carefully monitored by our company to ensure that they continue to meet strict safety standards.

Apart from the driver we can provide school bus assistants on all our buses. This makes it a good option for parents, especially those with young children. 

All the chaperones have a DBS Enhance checks and are specially trained for this job. They will supervise and ensure the children’s safety, coordinate with parents and assist the driver.

The chaperones carry a list of the children using the bus and the contact numbers for their parents/ carers, plus contact numbers for each child’s school.

The age limit will be established by each school but in general there is no age limit if we have a chaperone on the bus accompanying children to school.

We are, at Impact, concerned about children’s behaviour on school buses, just as educators are concerned with bullying in the classroom. School bus drivers and chaperones are trained to manage student behaviour and are partnering with school administrators to address these important issues.

Impact Group is working hard to keep children safe, but there are things that parents, children and the schools can do to take an active role in staying safe:

• Walk your child to and from the bus stop. Wait with him/her until the bus arrives.
• While waiting for the bus, stay in a safe place away from the street.
• Get to know your bus chaperone/driver. He or she is a trained professional who sees your child every day; he or she would be happy to tell you about the safety features on the bus and the responsibility drivers and chaperones have for keeping their young passengers safe.

School bus drivers can have the same reasons as motorists for being late. Traffic delays, weather conditions are just a few reasons. In cases where the regularly assigned bus or driver is unable to pick up students, We have spare vehicles and standby drivers available at short notice to help with unplanned absences.

The school will give parents the price, as our contract is directly with the school, but it might be worth knowing that driving to school is more expensive than sending your children by bus.

You can contact our friendly team on +020-8601-3555 or via [email protected]