Following on from the TUI holiday flight incident and the failure of passengers to follow rules, it is relevant to note the following
Government statement: 'We do not expect drivers to police pupil behaviour. Their role is to focus on driving the vehicle safely' whilst KCC considers that 'Children travelling on these services will be required to wear face coverings for those over 11 and without an exemption'. But from Stagecoach, one of the largest school contractors in Kent: ‘Our drivers will not refuse travel or apply any enforcement measures, but we appeal to students and parents to ensure that this is taken seriously and that a face-covering is worn at all times when on the bus’. |
It is not surprising that, partly as a result of this and partly through matters relating to social distancing, parental caution has seen the number of applications for the Kent Travel Pass fall by three quarters for September from 24,000 to just 6,100. Most of these families will now be driving their children to school by car, swelling the road traffic considerably across the county at the two peak school times.
There is likely as a consequence to be travel chaos at peak periods particularly in areas where there are several secondary schools close together. Three towns spring to mind: Canterbury, Sittingbourne and Tunbridge Wells, but I am sure there are others. One can also add in schools served by narrow roads as explained in a previous article entitled The Coronavirus Effect on the 'School Run' in Kent, Part 2 which I wrote two weeks ago, and looks at the developing problems of getting children to school.
I also look below at transport matters contained in new advice published by the government on Friday. This sets fresh expectations for schools from the start of the new term, for many just five days in advance, including a weekend and a bank holiday. It contains 18 pages of advice, some wise and helpful, some very belated, some trivial and some patronising. Finally, the situation at Ebbsfleet Green Primary School.
The transport problems in Kent are especially severe, with only three-quarters of the national average of secondary aged children travelling actively to school at less than 30%, mainly by walking or cycling. This reliance on transport arises because Kent’s 32 grammar schools and eight church comprehensives often recruit from wide geographical areas and, together with large rural hinterlands for many schools sharply reduce opportunities for active travelling. Medway, being primarily an urban authority will have far fewer challenges, except on the very rural Hoo Peninsula.
KCC has arranged an additional 80 buses to support school routes to compensate for social distancing rules. This is accompanied by seeing many routes being re-scheduled to become ‘dedicated school transport’, meaning that social distancing regulations could be relaxed, replaced by year group ‘bubbles’, but see below.
The website for Stagecoach, one of the largest schools operator in the county, serving the South and East of the county, is especially clear. It details the 48 dedicated schools services it is planning to run, which will replace the parallel public service routes (although these services were primarily for school children anyway) and new conditions of service. Also ‘A regular service double-decker bus can only carry up to 32 people. Some of our regular bus journeys will be shadowed by another bus running behind’. Arriva are doing the same for 50 services across the remainder of the county and in Medway. Another dozen or so contractors will each have their own arrangements.
Clik here to view.