School Bus Terms and Conditions

1.1. The fare is calculated for the full school year and is not a daily or weekly fare. It must be paid in advance of travel.

1.2. By paying either by direct debit or bank/credit card, you are entering into a contract for the purchase of a full year’s school transport (typically 190 days). As such any cancellation will mean that you remain liable for the remainder of the full year (see section 2, Cancellation/Refunds) unless the service is cancelled by Cawthorne’s Travel Limited (refer to section 2.1.).

1.3. Direct Debit instalments will be collected by GoCardless. An initial deposit will be taken at the time the pass is purchased followed by a further nine direct debit payments on the first day of October through July. If a direct debit is cancelled, the associated pass is immediately voided, and no refund of payments already made will be considered.

1.4. A credit reference agency may be used to confirm your address and credit status.

1.5. You are asked to allow 2 weeks for processing your initial Direct Debit application.

1.6. Advanced notice will be given to you by GoCardless prior to taking the first Direct Debit payment from your account (normally ten working days). The advanced notice informs you of the amount, date, and frequency of payment. Where there is any change, a new advance notice will be issued.

1.7. The surcharge for failed Direct Debits is £20 which will be added to any outstanding balance.

1.8. Credit/Debit card payments can also be made via the ShuttleID portal.

2.1. Cawthorne’s Travel Limited reserves the right to cancel the service. i.e. should the service not be economically viable due to, for example, insufficient pass sales or an extreme rise in the cost of operation. In the event of the service being cancelled prior to the service commencing in September, a full refund will be issued. Once the service has commenced operation, any refund shall be calculated as pro-rata the number of full weeks of operation remaining in the school year. A school year is defined as 38 weeks of operation. Should the passenger choose to transfer to an alternative service provided by Cawthorne’s Travel Limited, no refund will be payable.

2.2. If you no longer require the boarding pass you must give notice during the preceding term, this must be sent to us by email to info@cawthornestravel.com otherwise you will continue to be charged.

2.3. Once purchased, passes are non-refundable. The only circumstance under which a refund will be considered is if a child permanently leaves their school for another school of which written confirmation will be required from the departing and receiving schools. Refunds are not calculated on a pro-rata basis. A refund will be calculated based on the number of full weeks of travel remaining in the school year. Each remaining week will be refunded at the rate of £8 per week. Once a request for a refund is received, the pass will be cancelled, and no further travel is permitted using that pass.

2.4. No refunds will be given in the last term of the school year unless the cancellation notice is received prior to the commencement of the term.

2.5. No refunds will be given to students who are excluded from the service (see section 4, Bus Travel Etiquette).

2.6. No refunds will be given if HM government or school authorities close the school for any reason, this clause supersedes clause 1.1.

2.7. In the event of COVID-19, a pandemic, fire, or other event resulting in a full closure of the school for more than two consecutive weeks, an £8 refund will be made for each whole week the school continues to be closed after the two-week initial period.

3.1. Boarding passes/e-tickets will be available in the ShuttleID customer portal immediately after payment or direct debit has been set up.

3.2. Once your boarding pass has been received, your child can commence to use the service immediately.

3.3. Your child must only use the service allocated and must show the boarding pass to the driver on every occasion or they may be refused access. NO TICKET - NO RIDE.

3.4. Cawthorne’s Travel Limited reserves the right to withdraw the Boarding Pass/e-ticket if false information is supplied, or payment is not received by the due date. In the event of any misuse of the Boarding Pass or if the child/children do not conform to the relevant school’s Code of Conduct for School Transport.

3.5. There is no allowance for non-attendance, be it for sickness, holiday, school outing, work experience or exclusion from school. 3.6. Planned non-pupil days have been accounted for by Cawthorne’s Travel Limited in reaching the annual fare price.

4.1. Students are expected to behave in a reasonable manner when travelling on the bus. They must not distract the attention of the driver. They must not throw objects around in or out of the bus. They must not distract drivers of other vehicles. They must not use abusive language.

4.2. Whilst travelling, students should remain seated. Under no circumstances should the driver be distracted. All students must use seat belts where fitted.

4.3. It is not permitted to consume food or drink on the bus. 4.4. In the event of continued disruption/misbehaviour, those responsible will be given a (STRIKE 1) verbal warning. Should the warning prove not to be enough, then a (STRIKE 2) written warning will be issued either by letter or email and sent directly to the parent/guardian and a 7-day ban will be applied. If this fails to resolve the issue, then the child/children will receive a (STRIKE 3) exclusion from the bus service permanently.

4.5. Any damage to the bus, arson or violent conduct will result in the immediate exclusion from the bus service and action to recover the cost of repair of the damage, replacement bus hire and any other costs will be taken.

4.6. It is up to the students to ensure that all belongings are taken with them at the end of each journey. The Company accepts no responsibility for any items left on the bus.

5.1. The service will operate throughout the school academic year and will follow the school timetable.

5.2. In the event of a bus failure, an alternative bus will be sought either from our fleet or from other local operators, whichever is available first. The journey will then be completed.

5.3. In the event of a bus failure or delay of any kind, you will be sent a notification via SMS text, so please make sure that you register a mobile number when you enrol.

5.4. Passholders should be at their allocated pick-up points 5 minutes before the scheduled time.

6.1. Cawthorne’s Travel Limited reserves the right to amend the timetable or route of school services of which pass holders will be given a minimum of two weeks’ notice.

6.2. Cawthorne’s Travel Limited reserves the right to transfer passengers to alternative services of which pass holders will be given a minimum of two weeks’ notice. Any refund will be calculated in accordance with clause 2.

The carriage of non-passholders will be at the sole discretion of the driver.

8.1 Our privacy policy may be accessed here at https://www.cawthornestravel.com. We consult regularly with schools to investigate reports of bullying, damage sustained to vehicles, and any accidents or incidents that may occur during journeys. All vehicles fitted with CCTV to ensure the safety of passengers and staff. We may share footage with schools and the authorities as required to establish the facts and identify individuals.