Stagecoach unveils new measures to keep students safe when returning to school or college.

STAGECOACH UNVEILS NEW MEASURES TO KEEP STUDENTS SAFE

Stagecoach wants to reassure parents that students are safe travelling to and from school or college on the bus

• Extra school & college services running in partnership with local authorities
• Additional capacity on scheduled services and dedicated school buses running
• Enhanced measures in place to ensure customer confidence

Stagecoach has today issued guidance on school and college bus services across Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex to support students safely returning to school and college in September.

Many special school and college only bus services will run, supporting our normal planned public bus services. Dedicated school & college bus services will be clearly marked as ’students only’ on the destination screen. As these services can only be used by school children or students, government advice is that all seats are available for use, and face coverings are recommended for all children over 11 (unless exempt).

All public bus services will continue to observe social distancing guidelines and in line with government advice, face coverings must be worn by everybody over 11 years old, unless exemptions apply. Please check stagecoachbus.com for details of exemptions and how to apply for a Journey Assistance Card.

Customers not travelling for school, college or work, are advised to try and avoid school and peak travel times. All customers are encouraged to use contactless payments wherever possible or buy tickets online through the Stagecoach app. The Stagecoach App has recently been updated to include a 'Busy Bus' function, where customers can check to see how busy their intended bus is before it arrives.

Stagecoach has put a range of measures in place to help everybody feel safe and confident in using its services. All bus, tram and coach services have been accredited with Visit Britain’s “We’re Good to Go” official mark, recognising the work carried out to meet government and industry Covid-19 guidelines and the processes in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing. The comprehensive regime includes daily cleans and contactless payments, in addition to the government's mandatory use of face coverings.

Edward Hodgson Managing Director for Stagecoach South, said: “As students return to school and college and more people start to get back to work, we want to make sure they can be confident about their journey with us.

“We’ve worked closely with local authorities to put a number of additional measures in place including dedicated school bus services and extra buses on busy routes to ensure we have capacity where it is needed.

“We’re continuing with our extensive daily cleaning of all buses and with everybody playing their part and following the rules on wearing face coverings and hygiene, people can continue to travel to work, school and college by bus safely and confidently.”

As children prepare to return to school following the pandemic, many parents have been left feeling anxious about their family's safety and are needing to be reassured.

Stagecoach has launched a dedicated 'Getting back to School safely' webpage guide to help reduce concerns over Covid-19 as parents in the region prepare to send their young ones back to the classroom.

Edward added "We know this will be a concerning time for parents and students, as we see increases in customers using our services. I want to reassure everyone that we've implemented a number of measures to ensure our customers feel safe when travelling with us."

Full information on dedicated school services can be found at https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/national/back-to-school-safely