Mainstream School Transport Arrangements 2020-21 

Parents/carers will receive letters, as normal over the summer, informing them of the service their child(ren) will be allocated to, with a caveat that they should refer to this page for updates. 

Important Information

Entitled Pupils

Pupils from Reception to Year 11 are automatically assessed for free mainstream school transport. Pupils of primary school age qualify for free school transport if they live over 2 miles from their catchment area school, next nearest if catchment is full. Pupils of secondary school age qualify for free school transport if they live over 3 miles from their catchment school, next nearest if catchment is full.  

No forms are required to be completed and signed and letters/passes/timetables will be sent directly to home addresses no later than Friday 21 August 2020.  

Only pupils who were late enrolments, have recently moved address or will be entering Post 16 in September (Year 12) will need to contact the school transport team:

• schooltransport@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

• New Intake - Reception & Year 7  

  All the Reception and Year 7 pupils have been assessed and the entitled children will be sent a letter/bus pass to their home address by Friday 21 August 2020 so if there any problems we have plenty of time to make adjustments over the summer holidays. If you have not received your bus pass or letter by Friday 21 August 2020 please contact the school transport team:

  • schooltransport@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

• Year 1 to Year 11  

  All existing pupils that have had free school transport this year will automatically receive a letter/bus pass which will be sent to the parent/guardian home address (please contact us if you have moved recently) along with the policy summary, travel behaviour code and route timetable. If you have not received your bus pass/letter by Friday 21 August 2020 please contact the school transport team:

  • schooltransport@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

• Post 16 Pupils (Year 12-Year 13)  

  Pupils who are entering Year 12 wishing to continue their studies from September 2020 (attending their catchment school or St David’s College) will need to inform the school transport team no later than Friday 21 August 2020 in order to receive their pass for the beginning of September.  

   

  Please email schooltransport@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk at your earliest convenience with the following information:-  

  • Name of child

  • Date of birth  

  • Address

  • Contact number

  • School

  • Route number (if known)  

   

  Please note: Those pupils who qualify for free school transport agree to adhere to the Vale of Glamorgan Council Schools transport policy and Welsh Government travel behaviour code.

Non-entitled Pupils 

• Purchase a bus pass on a contracted school service  

  Those pupils who do not qualify for free school transport but wish to purchase a spare seat on a contracted school bus can complete and send in an application from Monday, 17^th August 2020. Application forms will be linked to this page on this date to avoid early submission and will be treated on a first come first served basis. 

   

  Please note:

  • The cost of a pass is £300 per academic year (i.e. 2020-21).  However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, you will be invoiced £100 towards the end of each academic term in case further lockdowns or school closures are enforced and payments need to be recalculated pro-rata.  Non-payment for a purchase pass by the end of each term will result in forfeiture of the space allocated for the following term(s).
    
    
  • That the Council has to allocate Post 16 pupils who may not decide to re-attend school/college until after results day in late August. Therefore, the Council may not be able to allocate purchase pass applications until the third week of September 2020, at the earliest.
    
    
  • Due to Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), the Council is unable to sell spare capacity on certain services (i.e. those vehicles that are not PSVAR compliant or have received temporary permission until the end of the academic year 2020-21 from the Department of Transport).  In such circumstances we will advise following your application submission.

   

  Completed application forms should be emailed to:

  • schooltransport@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

  
  

  • School Transport Purchase Pass Application Form 2020-21

   

• Fare Paying Services

  As stated in our letter to parents/carers, school transport has given you advanced notice that the following ‘fare paying’ school transport services will be withdrawn or revised as detailed below from 1st September 2020.  Parents and guardians of pupils who are not entitled to free home to school transport will therefore need to make their own alternative arrangements to get to school. Please note that the agreed Report has no implications with regard to the provision of free home to school transport for entitled children that will continue to be maintained.

   

  The fare paying element of the following services will no longer be running from September 2020, these include routes: 351, P97, P122, P125, P132, P133, P135, P138, P139, S40, S51. The following services are going to continue are S2, S10, S14 (Whitmore, Pencoedtre & Ysgol Bro), & S49 (SRG).

   

   

  If you wish to purchase a pass for a fare-paying service, please contact the Watts Coaches directly for the following services costs, times and route on Watts Coaches:

  • 01446 781277

  • wattscoaches@gmail.com

   

  • Changes to Fare Paying School Transport from September 2020

Free School Transport

If you wish to enquire about free school transport (including St David's R/C College and other year 12/13 students), please e-mail with the following information:

• Name of Child:
• Date of Birth:
• Home Address:
• Contact Number: 
• School:
• Route Number (if known):  

• schooltransport@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

Please note: Free school transport will not be provided if, as a result of parental preference, your child attends another school other than the nearest school or designated catchment area school.

Buy a School Bus Pass

Those pupils who do not qualify for free school transport but wish to purchase a spare seat on a contracted school bus can complete and send in an application from Monday, 17^th August 2020. Application forms will be linked to this page on this date to avoid early submission and will be treated on a first come first served basis. 

Please note:

• The cost of a pass is £300 per academic year (i.e. 2020-21).  However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, you will be invoiced £100 towards the end of each academic term in case further lockdowns or school closures are enforced and payments need to be recalculated pro-rata.  Non-payment for a purchase pass by the end of each term will result in forfeiture of the space allocated for the following term(s).
  
  
• That the Council has to allocate Post 16 pupils who may not decide to re-attend school/college until after results day in late August. Therefore, the Council may not be able to allocate purchase pass applications until the third week of September 2020, at the earliest.
  
  
• Due to Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), the Council is unable to sell spare capacity on certain services (i.e. those vehicles that are not PSVAR compliant or have received temporary permission until the end of the academic year 2020-21 from the Department of Transport).  In such circumstances we will advise following your application submission. 

Completed application forms should be emailed to:

• schooltransport@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

Passenger Transport Unit

The Vale of Glamorgan Council

Alps Depot and Offices

Alps Quarry Road

Wenvoe

CF5 6AA

• schooltransport@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk

If you wish to purchase a pass for a fare-paying service, please contact the bus operator directly. 

Replacement Bus Pass

Replacements passes can be obtained from the Passenger Transport Unit with an administration charge of £10 levied for each replacement pass.