Terms & Conditions

By purchasing a ticket, you agree to abide by these Terms and Conditions and Pilkington Bus reserves the right to refuse travel to any passenger who does not comply.

These terms and conditions may be amended at any time with no obligation to notify customers. The latest version (posted on the Pilkington Bus website
(https://www.pilkingtonbus.co.uk) shall apply and supersede any previous terms and conditions in respect of home to school transport.

1. Travel Pass – E-Tickets

1.1 Travel Passes (E-Tickets) will be available in the ShuttleID customer portal immediately after payment or Direct Debit has been set up.

1.2 Once your travel pass has been received, your child can start to use the
service immediately.

1.3 Your child must only use the service allocated and must show the travel pass to the driver on every occasion or they may be refused access. If the child cannot show a valid travel pass we will take their name and will contact both the school and the ticket purchaser. This could mean – NO TICKET – NO RIDE!

1.4 Pilkington Bus reserves the right to withdraw the Travel Pass if false information is supplied, or payment is not received by the due date, or there is any misuse of the Travel Pass or if the child/children do not conform to the relevant school’s Code of Conduct for School Transport.

1.5 There will be no refund for non-attendance, be it for sickness, holiday, school outing, work experience or exclusion from school.

1.6 Pilkington Bus have accounted for planned non pupil days in reaching the annual fare price.

2. Payment Information

2.1 The fare is calculated for the full school year and is not a daily or weekly fare. It must be paid in advance of travel.

2.2 By paying either by Direct Debit or debit/credit card, you are entering into a contract for the purchase of a full year’s school transport (typically 190 days/38 weeks). As such any cancellation will mean that you remain liable for the remainder of the full year (see section 2, Cancellation/Refunds) unless the service is cancelled by Pilkington Bus (refer section 2.1.)

2.3 Direct Debit instalments will be collected by GoCardless whose name will be shown on your bank account. An initial deposit will be taken at the time the travel pass is purchased followed by a further nine/eight Direct Debit payments on the first day of October through to June/ May for year 11. If a Direct Debit is cancelled, the associated pass is immediately revoked, no refund of payments already made will be considered.

2.4 A credit reference agency may be used to confirm your address and credit status.

2.5 You are asked to allow 2 weeks for processing your initial Direct Debit application.

2.6 Advanced notice will be given to you by GoCardless prior to taking your Direct Debit payment from your account (normally ten working days). The advanced notice informs you of the amount, date, and frequency of payment. Where there is any change, a new advance notice will be issued.

2.7 Go Cardless will attempt to collect the Direct Debit three times. If the third attempt fails Pilkington Bus will reach out to the customer to resolve the issue. If the issue cannot be resolved then the travel pass will be void.

2.8 The surcharge for failed Direct Debits is £20 which will be added to any outstanding balance.

3. Cancellation/Refunds

3.1 Pilkington Bus reserves the right to cancel the service. i.e. should the service not be economically viable due to, for example insufficient pass sales or extreme rise in the cost of operation. In the event of the service being cancelled prior to the service commencing in September, a full refund will be issued. Once the service has commenced operation, any refund shall be calculated as pro-rata the number of full weeks of operation remaining in the school year. A school year is defined as 38 weeks of operation. Should the passenger choose to transfer to an alternative service provided by Pilkington Bus, no refund will be payable.

3.2 If you no longer require the travel pass you must give notice during the preceding term, this must be sent to us by email to info@pilkingtonbus.co.uk otherwise you will continue to be charged.

3.3 If a Direct Debit is recalled or cancelled, to retain their travel entitlement the customer must notify Pilkington Bus of the cancellation in writing. The customer will still be liable for the cost of transport previously taken. If a Direct Debit is cancelled in error, then there will be a £20 administration charge to reinstate the ticket. If the customer is experiencing financial difficulties, then to retain their travel entitlement, they should contact Pilkington Bus as soon as possible.

3.4 Once purchased, travel passes are non-refundable. The only circumstance under which a refund will be considered is if a pass-holder permanently leaves their school for another school of which written confirmation will be required from the departing and receiving schools.

3.5 Refunds are calculated on a pro-rata basis. A refund will be calculated based on the number of full weeks of travel remaining in the school year. Each remaining week will be refunded at the rate of £20 per week. Once a request for a refund is received, the travel pass will be cancelled, and no further travel is permitted using that travel pass.

3.6 No refunds will be given in the last term of the school year unless the cancellation notice is received prior to the commencement of the term.

3.7 No refunds will be given to students who are excluded from the service (see section 4, Bus Travel Etiquette).

3.8 No refunds will be given if HM government or school authorities close the school for any reason, this clause overrides clause 1.1.

3.9 In the event of covid-19, a pandemic, fire, or other event resulting in a full closure of the school of more than two consecutive weeks, a £20 refund will be made for each whole week the school continues to be closed after the two-week initial period. Boarding/Pass E-Ticket

4. Bus Travel Etiquette – acceptable behaviour

4.1 Students are expected to behave in a reasonable manner when travelling on the bus. They must not distract the attention of the driver. They must not throw objects around in or out of the bus. They must not distract drivers of other vehicles. They must not use abusive language.

4.2 Whilst travelling, students should remain seated. Under no circumstances should the driver be distracted. All students must use seat belts where fitted.

4.3 It is not permitted to consume food or drink on the bus.

4.4 Smoking or Vaping is not permitted whilst on the bus under any circumstances.

4.5 In the event of continued disruption/misbehaviour, those responsible will be given a (STRIKE 1) verbal warning. Should the warning prove not to be enough, then a (STRIKE 2) written warning will be issued either by letter or email and sent directly to the parent/guardian and a 7-day ban will be applied. If this fails to resolve the issue, then the child/children will receive a (STRIKE 3) exclusion from the bus service permanently.

4.6 Any damage to the bus, arson or violent conduct will result in the immediate exclusion from the bus service and action to recover the cost of repair of the damage, replacement bus hire and any other costs will be taken.

4.7 It is up to the students to ensure that all belongings are taken with them at the end of each journey. Pilkington Bus accepts no responsibility for any items left on the bus.

5. Service Information

5.1 The service will operate throughout the school academic year and will follow the school timetable.

5.2 In the event of a bus failure, an alternative bus will be sought either from our fleet or from other local operators, whichever is available first. The journey will then be completed.

5.3 In the event of a bus failure or delay of any kind, you will be sent a notification via social media or the Shuttle ID, so please make sure that you register a mobile number when you enrol.

5.4 Passholders should be at their allocated pick-up points 5 minutes before the scheduled time.

6 Service Alteration

6.1 Pilkington Bus reserves the right to amend the timetable or route of school  services of which pass holders will be given a minimum of two weeks’ notice.

6.2 Pilkington Bus reserves the right to transfer passengers to alternative services of which pass holders will be given a minimum of two weeks’ notice. Any refund will be calculated in accordance with clause 2.

7 GDPR

7.1 Our privacy policy may be accessed here at https://www.pilkingtonbus.co.uk/privacy-policy/ . We consult regularly with schools to investigate reports of bullying, damage sustained to vehicles, and any accidents or incidents that may occur during journeys. All vehicles are fitted with CCTV to ensure the safety of passengers and staff. We may share footage with schools and the authorities as required to establish the facts and identify individuals.

June 2025