Factors to consider when planning transport

• Passenger safety
• Competence level and training of the driver, and whether s/he has the right licence
• Number of driving hours
• Capacity and experience of the driver to maintain concentration (for example, is more than one driver needed to avoid fatigue?)
• Type of journey (e.g. is it a local trip or long distance one?)
• Traffic conditions
• Contingency funds and arrangements in case of a breakdown or an emergency
• Insurance cover
• The weather
• Stopping points on long journeys
• Supervision.      

Seatbelts 

Since 1997, all minibuses/coaches registered after 1 October 1988, that are used to carry three or more children have been required to have seatbelts fitted (different rules apply outside the UK: from October 1997, all new models of coaches throughout the EC had to be fitted with seatbelts).

The minimum requirement is for all children and young people between the ages of three and 16 years (but not including 16-year-olds) to be provided with a forward-facing seat with a fitted lap belt in minibuses or coaches used to take them on organised trips – including journeys to and from school/college. 

Schools and colleges are therefore advised to seek confirmation from coach operators that their vehicles are fitted with seatbelts. ATL recommends that all minibuses are fitted with lap and diagonal seat belts. 

Party leaders who take trips by coach abroad need to clarify the provision of seatbelts in coaches with the tour operator. School Group Travel Association (SAGTA) member companies, for example, will ensure that groups normally travel in coaches which comply with SAGTA’s strict safety guidelines (including the provision of properly-fitted seatbelts). Member companies cannot guarantee that, in the event of a breakdown necessitating the use of a coach hired outside the UK, the coach will be fitted with seatbelts throughout however. Member companies will only use non-British coaches where it would be impractical to send out a replacement coach from the UK. Any coach hired abroad will comply with the Regulations in force for vehicles carrying groups of children and young people in the country concerned. 

Schools and colleges in the Greater London Authority area may be eligible for free transport on the underground, on buses, on Thameslink and on the DLR. More information about Transport for London scheme can be found on the Transport for London website. 

Help and advice

For more detailed advice, please refer to ATL's publication Taking students off-site.

For individual queries, please contact ATL's London office, e-mail the helpdesk, or contact your branch secretary. You may also wish to call the out-of-office-hours helpline.

If you need confidential support and advice, don't forget you can also call ATL's stress, crisis or legal helplines.