Vacant seat scheme: terms and conditions
1. Vacant seat allocations are not guaranteed.
2. A vacant seat will usually be charged at £180 per academic year, per pupil, payable in advance (charge correct as of 2019/20 school year). However, due to the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) legislation, the authority will not be charging for bus passes for the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
3. A vacant seat can be withdrawn with a minimum of two weeks’ notice.
4. The notice period may include weekends, bank and public holidays and school holidays.
5. A vacant seat may be withdrawn if:
- that seat is needed for a pupil entitled to free home to school transport
- the bus services is withdrawn if there are not enough numbers of entitled children travelling
- non-compliance with the Welsh Government Travel Code of Behaviour
6. In the event that a vacant seat is withdrawn, parents are expected to make their own arrangements for ensuring that their child travels to and from school. The authority will not make any further arrangements to transport that child.
7. The Council reserves the right to move pupils between vehicles or re-route vehicles in order to manage loadings.
8. A vacant seat will be sold on the presumption that the child is travelling 5 days each week.
9. Where vacant seats are sold for partial weeks (on a discretionary basis only) the concessionary seat can be withdrawn if a request is received for another child to travel 5 days a week.
10. The vacant seats may only be offered after term has started. In this case the full year payment (£180) will still be payable.