ADVERSE WEATHER POLICY
Should the weather become of concern or deteriorate
‘Beaver Bus Ltd’ will
- Sample check the main A/B roads on a number of routes and risk assess if it is safe to send out buses
- Prepare the vehicles in the yard with sufficient time for them to work safely
- Check the schools websites to see if the schools are opening
- Send out a text message for any known route cancellations
Advice for all Parents
- Remember that your child remains under your care until he or she is accepted for travel on the school bus with a valid pass and immediately when they get off the school bus at the end of the school day.
- If you are concerned about your child’s sense of road safety, you should accompany him or her to the stop and wait with him or her until the bus arrives. Similarly, you should ensure that young children are met when the bus returns from school.
- If your child is unaccompanied, make sure that he or she knows and follows the safest route, uses the safest crossing places and knows how to behave responsibly whilst waiting for their bus.
- Please make sure that you have discussed with your child what to do if the bus does not arrive or if he or she fails to catch the bus for any reason.
- In poor weather conditions, you are advised to take your child to a bus pick up point on a main (treated) road as some points with poor access may not be served. Local radio stations are a good source of information to find out if your child’s school is open and/or the roads to it are passable.
- In any case, you should have a Plan B should the bus not turn up due to adverse weather conditions, traffic incidents or mechanical failure. We will always do our best to continue with the services or supply a replacement bus should it be required and keep you informed via our news page http://beaver-bus.co.uk/news-page
If the route is cancelled in the morning, we will not guarantee a return journey home for passengers that have made their way to the schools.
Drivers once underway are empowered to make decisions about whether to continue, to terminate the run or to revise the run in real time so as to avoid sections of route that would be unacceptably treacherous or have a high risk or the vehicle and passengers becoming stranded.
Where drivers deviate from published schedules they must notify their manager – who will pass the information to the schools and Local Authority.
Risk assessments will be continuous throughout the period of increment weather. We may if deemed necessary arrange for pickups to be earlier than advertised in consultation with the schools. In the unlikely event that we have to make this decision, parents will be notified by text message.
Although following the above procedures does little to prevent the impact of severe weather it has the potential to help inform interested parties of major issues and thereby allow them to make informed decisions about whether to continue to wait for their transport or to make alternative arrangements
If a route is cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control, no refunds will be issued.