Existing users - Frequently asked questions and other useful information

What to do if the bus is late, or the weather is bad - and other common questions.

Frequently asked questions

Are passengers required to social distance on Home to School Transport?

No – social distancing is no longer a requirement.

Students should take suitable hygiene precautions such as handwashing before boarding and alighting the vehicle and should be mindful and respectful of others personal space.

Are passengers on Home to School Transport required to wear a face covering?

Face coverings are no longer required. Public health guidance will remain in place, suggesting individuals should continue to wear a face-covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, where you may encounter people you do not normally meet.

In line with updated government guidance around public and dedicated school transport, OCC strongly encourages that all passengers continue to wear face coverings in confined areas such as on school transport, however, face-covering is not a condition of travel and transport should not be refused on this basis.  Please be mindful and respectful of others who continue to wear a face covering.

What precautions are being taken to ensure safety on transport?

While the guidance has eased, COVID-19 is very much still here so the following precautions are being taken wherever reasonably possible:

  • Face-coverings:  While face-coverings remain a recommendation rather than a requirement, drivers and passenger assistants have been asked to continue to lead by example by wearing a face-covering where there is not an exemption in place.
  • Hand hygiene: Drivers and Passenger Assistants should use hand sanitiser or wash their hands before and after coming into contact with each other, passengers and/or handling passenger belongings.  Passengers are advised to wash their hands thoroughly before boarding the vehicle or use their own hand sanitiser provided by the parent/carer where deemed appropriate.
  • Vehicle cleanliness: All vehicles should undergo daily deep cleaning along with additional cleaning before and after every journey, including all frequently touched surfaces.
  • Vehicle ventilation: Where possible and appropriate, windows should be opened for the duration of the journey.  Where possible air conditioning and/or heating should not be used, and air should not be recirculated within the vehicle.

What to do if my young person shows signs of COVID-19.

If a young person is showing symptoms of COVID-19 or has been advised to self-isolate, they are not to travel.

If a young person shows signs of COVID-19 while at school they will not be conveyed home by transport. Parents will be called by the school to collect the student.

Lost property

If your young person travels on Mainstream Home to School Transport, please contact the transport provider directly. Details can be found on the route timetables page here. 

If your young person travels on SEN or Social Care Transport please contact the Supported Transport Team, details below.

Bad weather

Please refer to Emergency School Closures page to find out if your school is open.

To find out if your young person’s transport is running please contact the transport provider directly or contact Oxfordshire County Council’s Supported Transport Service. If the transport provider deems the conditions to be hazardous it is at their discretion if they operate the route.

My young person has lost their travel pass

If your young person has been issued with a travel pass they must show it to travel on transport.  If the pass is lost it is the parent/carer’s responsibility to obtain a replacement pass.  For further details please refer to Replacement School Travel Pass page

I’m concerned my young person will be travelling in a vehicle on their own

All drivers and passenger assistants working on Oxfordshire County Council School and Social Care contracts are required to be in possession of a valid Oxfordshire County Council identification badge.  This is in addition to any taxi/private hire license badge or CPC license for PSV drivers.  The OCC identification badge means that the holder has had enhanced DBS checks suitable for the job role, attended and passed the Safeguarding and Disability Awareness Course, and have signed to the council’s Driver and Passenger Assistant Code of Conduct (pdf format, 309Kb) which runs in parallel with the School Transport Code of Conduct (pdf format, 184Kb)

My young person travels in a taxi or minibus but is absent so does not require transport

If your young person is not travelling due to illness or other reason, please contact Supported Transport Service team (see below) so that the transport can be cancelled.  If calling outside of office hours (8am - 5.00pm Monday to Thursday and 8am - 4pm on Friday) please contact the transport provider directly and follow up by informing Supported Transport Service.

I want to make a complaint about my young person’s transport arrangements

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of your young person’s transport arrangements, to make a complaint please contact Contracts Compliance Team with the relevant details to enable your complaint to be investigated. You will be notified of the outcome. Please do not contact the transport provider as this may impede a complaint investigation.

My young person has an SEN passenger passport.  The details need updating. How do I do this?

Please contact the Transport Risk Assessment Team (see below) with the relevant details and they will contact you back to update the passport.

My young person has moved address and I want to change transport arrangements

If your young person has moved address, they may no longer be entitled to free home to school transport. To see if they may remain eligible please refer to Free home to school travel assistance page. If you cannot find the answer that you are looking for please contact the School Admissions Team

Useful information

School Transport Code of Conduct

Details the responsibilities of Oxfordshire County Council, Drivers and Passenger Assistants, School, Parents/Carers and students/passengers.

Supported Transport Team Contacts

Details the email and phone contact details of all Supported Transport Teams.

Mainstream  School Transport Team mainstream.schooltransport@oxfordshire.gov.uk 01865 323500
Special Educational Needs School Transport Team EE-SpecialEducationalNeedsITU@oxfordshire.gov.uk 01865 323795
Transport Risk Assessment Team transportriskassessment@oxfordshire.gov.uk Email only
Contracts Compliance Team> QMCC@oxfordshire.gov.uk Email only