Bus Timetable

2023/24

Timetable

FARE STRUCTURE  

The costs of the School bus service are mainly covered by the School but we do ask parents to contribute a small part of the cost.

The fares are included on the School bill and you will be billed in arrears, at the end of each long term, based on actual bookings.

Fares are worked out on a zoning system as shown below that reflects the distance travelled from Wells.  

We also offer family discounts for subsequent siblings.

Example:                                Zone 1 Discount Daily Charge (2 x trips)

One child in zone 1                        = £8.00 (no discount)

Two children in zone 1                 = £13.60 (2 x £8.00 - 15%)

Three or more children in zone 1        = £16.80 (3 x £8.00 - 30%)        

It is possible to book a more flexible bus service for the academic year.  Options include full time bus use (Monday-Friday, AM & PM), individual days (e.g. Mondays & Wednesdays AM & PM), and/or half days (e.g. AM or PM).  

As of September 2023 we have simplified our School bus price structure and there will now be a single rate per trip.  Ad hoc bookings will be charged at the same rate as below.

Please note that the chart shows the equivalent trip or daily cost of the service but we always charge by the term not by the day.

Please note that priority is always given to pupils who need to use the bus service full time.  Should a parent select single or half days, and a new bus user requires that space full time, then the part time seat would need to be relinquished.  However, the parent would be informed before this happened, and given the opportunity to switch to full time bus usage.

Booking Form

As of Wednesday 4th January 2023, Wells Cathedral School has implemented a new School Bus Management system called Vectare.  All changes to existing bookings, new regular or ad hoc bookings will now be made by parents/guardians via the online Vectare system.  

Please visit https://wellscathedralschool.vectare.co.uk/ and log in using your iSAMS details .

Ad Hoc Bus Journeys

Should there be a space available on the bus, it is possible to book ad hoc bus journeys. The cost will be charged at the equivalent zone rate. To book an ad hoc seat on the bus, please use the online Vectare School Bus Booking System.

 https://wellscathedralschool.vectare.co.uk/ 

Sibling discounts do not apply to ad hoc usage.

Please note that new bus bookings must be made by 24:00 for the next morning's School bus bookings or by 12:00 for afternoon School bus runs.

NB: Buses will not stop at unbooked bus stops.  It is therefore vital to ensure you book a seat on the School bus.

Cancellation of Bus Service

Cancellations of either individual or block School Bus bookings are now made by parents/guardians via Vectare.  Should your child no longer need to take the bus on a particular journey, please log onto Vectare and cancel your booking, to avoid being charged.  All bus bookings (irrelevant of absence) will be charged on the School bill, unless the booking is shown as cancelled.

Please note that bus cancellations must be made by 24:00 for the next morning's School bus bookings or by 12:00 for afternoon School bus runs

School Bus Pick Up/Drop Off Protocol  

AM School Bus

Parents are advised to arrive 5 minutes before the allotted AM bus departure time, to avoid missing the School bus.  The School bus will wait at each booked bus stop until, and leave promptly at, the scheduled departure time.  Please note that School Buses are unable to wait beyond the scheduled time, in order to ensure other pupils on the bus arrive at School on time and to ensure the bus picks up other pupils on the route according to schedule. NB: Buses will not stop at unbooked bus stops.  It is therefore vital to ensure you book a seat on the School bus by 24:00 for AM pickups and by 12:00 for PM bus service.

Pupils on the AM Sandford, Weare, Winscombe, Blagdon, Pensford, Catcott School and Batcombe bus will be dropped off at Woodlands.  Pupils on the AM Chew Magna, Warminster, Batcombe, and Wincanton, School bus will be dropped off outside Stable Yard.

If your child will not be taking the AM bus as per your existing booking, please log onto Vectare by 24:00 the previous night to cancel your booking, and avoid being charged.  Should your child be absent from School, please also complete the Absence Form via the School Portal.

PM School Bus Service

All buses depart Wells Cathedral School, Woodlands Workshop at 17:15.

Buses will not leave before this time (with the exception of scheduled early bus departure times i.e. end of term), and will leave promptly at 17:15.

It is not possible for the School Bus departure time to be delayed, as this will impact other pupils on the School bus.

Any Senior School pupil arriving once the School bus has departed must report immediately to their Boarding House/House staff.  House staff will then contact parents/guardians to organise alternative arrangements.

If a pupil is missing from the bus, as per the Vectare system, the driver will mark that pupil as absent and continue promptly at 17:15.

Children aged 14 or over or whose parents have expressed permission for their child to walk home alone, alight from the bus at their designated bus stop.

Children under the age of 14 or those whose parents have not expressed permission for their child to walk home alone, must be met by a parent/guardian or an agreed designated carer at the designated bus stop.  Should a parent/guardian/designated carer not arrive on time to meet the pupil, the bus driver will wait an additional 5 minutes after the scheduled drop off time. Should the parent/guardians/ designated carer still not arrive, the bus driver will contact the School Emergency Contact; Martin Ashton (Senior School Pupils) Karl Gibson/Jody Wells (Prep School Pupils) via the emergency contact number on the School Bus tablet/phone.  The driver will then continue along the bus route with the pupil on board the bus.  The WCS Emergency Contact will phone the pupils’ parents/guardians, to ensure the pupil is collected further along the bus route.  At the end of the bus route if the child is on the Wincanton or Warminster bus and has still not  been collected from subsequent bus stops, the driver will be met by a Wells Cathedral School representative at a pre-agreed location (Frome/Shepton Mallet), as these buses do not return to Wells Cathedral School. At the end of the bus route if the child is on the Weare, Banwell, Blagdon, Winscombe, Pensford, Catcott, Chew Magna, Batcombe bus and has still not been collected from subsequent bus stops, the child will be returned back to Wells Cathedral School on the School bus.  The pupil will be met by a Wells Cathedral School staff member, organised by the School Emergency Contact and escorted by this member of staff back to their Boarding House. Pre-prep or Prep School children will be escorted to Claver Morris Boarding House.

Prep-Prep and Prep School Children

Prep School staff members on duty will ensure that each child is on the bus and will not depart Woodlands (bus departure point) until this is the case. If the bus is late arriving at School, they will wait with the child until they can get on the bus.

If any pupil has missed the bus they will be taken to the dining room whereby the staff member on duty will then contact parents/guardians to organise alternative arrangements until 6pm.  After this time, children that have missed the bus will then be escorted to Claver Morris Boarding House (19, The Liberty, Wells, BA5 2SZ) for full wrap around care.

Should a child leave school on the bus when they were not meant to, they will remain on the bus and be returned to the School and be escorted back to Claver Morris House.

AM & PM  Bus Breakdown/Emergency Procedures 

Should the School bus break down/run late, the driver will select the ‘Running Late’ option on Vectare.  This will send out a message to all parents of the pupils on that bus route.  Parents can track/locate the bus via the live tracking system on Vectare.

Mendip Community Transport (MCT) bus drivers will call the MCT emergency contact number.  The MCT emergency contact will call the WCS emergency contact Martin Ashton/Shaine Lanham  (out of hours Matt Nelson).  The School will then provide parents with further information. (Please note that MCT staff/drivers will not contact parents)

Beeline Coach drivers will call the Beeline emergency contact number.  The Beeline emergency contact will call the WCS emergency contact Martin Ashton/Shaine Lanham (out of hours Matt Nelson).  The School will then provide parents with further information. (Please note that Beeline staff/drivers will not contact parents)

Wells Cathedral School (WCS) bus drivers will contact Martin Ashton/Shaine Lanham (out of hours Matt Nelson).  Either the School or the WCS bus drivers will then contact the parents to provide further information.

Mendip Community Transport requests that parents do not contact them directly and that all contact should go through the School.

ETHOS

The Wells bus service is a constantly evolving scheme designed to be flexible to the needs of its customers.  However, there are several factors that remain constant and these are set out below to help explain the philosophy behind the service.

Safety

• Schools across the country experience the same problems at the start and the end of the school day – the chaos and dangers that can ensue when large numbers of cars arrive to pick up children.  The School bus service can do much to alleviate this problem by ensuring that pupils are picked up and dropped off in safe locations and by making it safer for pedestrian students to leave the school grounds.
• All the vehicles used by the service are fitted with seat belts and serviced regularly.

The Environment 

• The environmental benefits of using a bus scheme over car transportation cannot be emphasised enough.
• Living in rural locations can make it all too easy to depend on private transportation due to the lack of public transport. It is for this reason that it is so important to use these services when they are offered and I strongly urge you to consider it.

Independence

• There is little doubt that the children gain a measure of independence and self-reliance by making their own way to School.
• Having to be on time to catch a bus is an excellent way of developing punctuality and time management skills that are so important throughout life.
• The bus drops the pupil right outside the School in the morning and in the afternoon the younger children are always escorted by an adult, to Woodlands Workshop where they catch the bus home again.

Activities and Homework

• Presently the return buses leave at 17:15 from Woodlands Workshop. This means that children can use the time from the end of formal lessons till then to take part in activities, or to do their homework supervised by a member of staff.
• The timing of the buses may also coincide well with working parents who do not return home until such a time themselves.

Routes

• The timetables overleaf are based on the needs of the current users. However, if you would like to request a new stop, or even a new route, please contact the Travel & Transport Officer who will do their best to accommodate your needs. If there are several pupils coming from the same direction we will do our best to add a route but if we cannot perhaps you could consider car sharing?

Complaints Procedure

Whilst we strive to run a reliable and efficient bus service, we recognise that at times problems may arise that we will need to resolve.

Any complaints about any aspect of the bus service, or indeed any suggestions to improve it, should first be directed to the Travel & Transport Officer, not to the bus company.  They will endeavour to resolve any problems as quickly as possible.  However, in the event of a more serious problem, the Travel & Transport Officer will liaise with the Designated Safeguarding Lead & the Bursar, as to the best course of action.

Contact Details

Travel & Transport Officer

Wells Cathedral School

The Bursary

Wells

Somerset

BA5 2SX

01749 834391

travel@wells-cathedral-school.com