SCHOOL BUS Terms & Conditions
Oak Meadow International School Phuket acknowledges that the safety of the children using our bus service is our primary responsibility. Parents must have complete confidence in the care and professionalism of our ‘home to school’ and ‘school to home’ services.
The OMIS School Bus can provide the following services:
• Daily round trip to/from home
• The daily one-way trip to or from home
Morning pick-up time depends upon each student’s address.
The afternoon bus will leave from school as follows:
-16.00 (after After-School period 1)
The vehicle
Each bus is equipped with the following:
- Air Conditioning
- First Aid kit
- Safety belt for every seat
- Fire Extinguisher
Restrictions
The Maximum number of students per bus is 13.
While Oak Meadow aims to provide an extensive bus service, we may not be able to cover specific areas due to insufficient demand or the time/distance involved.
The school also reserves the right not to run routes which
a) have fewer than five students per mini-bus, or
b) Are beyond the time travel limit set by the school for the welfare of the passengers.
For kindergarten and grade 1/2, we may only allow the use of the School Bus Service if, in the opinion of the class teacher, the boy/girl is mature enough to travel.
*Parents must provide Booster Seats for Nursery and K1 students on a school bus journey. Booster Seats must be returned at the end of every day.
Areas to be covered
The school will decide upon the routes for the academic year in September 2022/2023 once we have received specific requests from parents. The areas that we can cover include:
Chalong/Rawai/Naiharn, Kata/Karon, Kathu/Patong/Kamala,
Phuket town/koh kaew, Thalang/Bangtao/Laguna
The fees
• Parents will be invoiced at the beginning of each term or month.
• Monthly payments must be made ten months a year, including the entire month of April.
• Parents will be invoiced at the end of each term.
The Process
1. At least 1 week before the start of term, the parent should
• complete the school bus booking form online
• a payment slip must be uploaded to the state to confirm a seat.
2. The service Support Department will respond by providing the information (availability, pick-up-drop-off timings, school bus guidelines, etc.) for the parent to consider.
3. The Parent confirms the use of the School Bus Service on the terms outlined.
Withdrawing
A minimum of one month's notice is required to withdraw from the School Bus.
Service.
Morning Pick Up
The morning school bus will pick up each student in front of their home or at the lobby of their condominium/residence. Students should arrive at the pick-up location in good time each morning. The school bus will wait a maximum of two minutes, but if the student does not appear, the bus driver will have to leave and will not contact the parent. The parent will then take the student to a school that day.
The Bus Nannies will report any student who is not on the bus in the morning, which will be followed up by a member of the academic staff team.
Afternoon Drop-off
Kindergarten and grade 1&2 students who leave at 16:00 will be collected by the bus nannies from their homeroom teacher and escorted directly to the Bus.
Students in Grade 3 and above on the 16:00 Bus will make their way from their Activity to the School Bus checklist point. A teacher and a bus nanny will take them to the school Bus.
The Bus will wait 5 minutes after the departure time of 16:15 for every child to arrive. If children arrive after this time, the bus may already have left. In such cases, the duty staff will look after the child, and parents will be informed. Parents will then need to arrange for the child to be collected from the school.
Request for change
Any requests for changes to the morning or afternoon arrangements must be made in writing by the parent via email or text message. Any changes to the afternoon service must be made by noon on the day of the change.
Students’ behavior
While using the school bus service, students will be expected to abide by the following “School Bus Rules:
• Be on time for morning and afternoon pick-up.
• Wear appropriately adjusted seat belts always.
• Talk quietly and politely to one another. Do not shout, make loud noises, or use foul language.
• Treat others with respect.
• Show respect to and listen carefully to the bus driver and bus nannies.
• Keep the bus clean.
• Follow the food rules.
• Only leave the bus at your designated stop.
• Do not move about the bus or open the windows.
• Listen to the bus nannies; the bus nannies will give feedback to the school regarding any Behavior issues.
Suppose a student’s behavior on the minibus gives cause for concern. In that case, we reserve the right to terminate that student’s service users and ask parents to make alternative transport arrangements. Academic staff will investigate any disciplinary concerns reported by Bus Monitors, other staff, parents, or teachers. These simple rules have been developed for all bus users to run an efficient service and show due consideration to others.
If a bus is damaged due to misbehavior, the student's parents will be expected to pay for any damage incurred.
Driver responsibilities
• Pick up and drop off students only at the bus stops designated by the school bus coordinator.
• To keep strictly to the set routes, except in unavoidable situations or with the approval of the school bus coordinator.
• Check the bus tires, lights, and oil and do other essential maintenance.
• To follow traffic laws and regulations and to drive safely at all times
• To follow all safety procedures
• Check at the end of each trip whether any student’s belongings are left on the bus. If there are, return the belongings to the School Bus Office when the bus is at the school again.
• To follow, in the event of an accident involving the school bus, the procedure described in the Procedures for Accidents or Incidents.
School-approved video cameras (CCTV) may also monitor routes and driving quality.
Bus nannies responsibilities
Collecting students from Home:
• Write the time on the report form if a student has yet to arrive within 2 minutes of the designated pick-up time and the bus has to move on to the next collection point.
• Ensure that all students have fastened seatbelts before the bus moves off.
• Ensure that all seats are in an upright position.
• No playing on the cell phone is allowed for bus nannies. The nannies may only use a cell phone to call or msg in case needed.
• Monitor the driver for safety and speed on the journey into the school.
• On arrival at school, ensure all students leave the bus and escort the kindergarten students to their designated areas, waiting there until the duty teacher arrives.
• Fill in the daily report booklet and hand it to the School Bus office before signing out.
• Bus nannies must ensure all students enter the school site. In kindergarten and grades 1&2, students must be taken to their classroom by the bus monitor.
From School to home:
• Check that all students registered as using the service are on the minibus.
• Report to the school bus office if any students need to be added or added. Buses will leave the school once any unexpected changes have been reported.
• Check that all students wear their seatbelts and that all seats are upright. The bus is to depart once seatbelts are secured.
• Monitor the driver for safety and speed, and report any conduct of concern or dangerous driving
• Ensure that the students are correctly seated.
• On arrival at each destination, ensure that a parent or responsible adult meets the students. If there is a problem, the following steps are to be taken:
At a drop-off location – if no one is available to collect a student, telephone the School Bus Office for instructions.
At an apartment – ask the receptionist to telephone the condo if there is no answer, telephone the School Bus Office for instructions.
• After the last student has been sent home, check that no student belongings remain on the bus. Items left on the bus will be returned to the students via the School Bus Office, and the bus will not take lost items back to a student's house.
• Fill in the daily report and hand it to the School Bus Office the following morning.
During the Journey, the Bus nannies must oversee
• The behavior of students: if a student does not listen to instructions, the Bus nannies may request that the driver parks the bus in a safe area, and the Bus nannies will then telephone the School Bus Office for assistance. A written report of inappropriate behavior will be given to the designated staff member responsible for student conduct.
• Toilet Issues: should a student need to go to the toilet, the Bus nannies should instruct the driver to stop at the nearest petrol station and escort the student to the bathroom. This must be included at the end of the route report.
• Seating: Younger students should sit in the front row behind the driver. Any seating concerns should be reported to the Service Support Department. Any seating requests from teaching staff or parents will be made via the Service Support Department rather than directly to the Bus Monitor.
Sick students while on the bus.
• If a student falls ill while in transit, the Bus nannies will contact the Service Support Department, which will endeavor to contact the parents. If necessary, the student will be taken to the nearest standard hospital or the hospital of the parents’ choice. A stand-by bus will be arranged to bring other students to school or back home.
• If a student falls ill before getting on the afternoon bus, the Bus nannies will notify the Service Support Department, and the child will be taken to the school nurse, who will care for the student and call their parents.
In case of an accident/breakdown
• Check whether any students are injured. If there seems to have been an injury, call for immediate medical attention and ensure that the injured students are not left alone.
• If possible, without compromising safety, take the students off the bus and keep them in a group in a safe area.
• Telephone the Service Support Department immediately.
Parent Responsibilities
Prompt communication is the main thing a parent can do to ensure trouble-free use of the School Bus Service.
• Changes to morning run: the School Bus Office should be informed in person or by phone or msg at least one working day ahead of the day of change.
• Changes to afternoon run: the Service Support Department should be informed before noon (except in case of cancellations) on the day of the requested change.
The Service Support Department will confirm any changes by msging the parent who has notified the school. Parents should check that this msg accurately reflects their request and should contact the Service Support Department immediately if there has been any misunderstanding.
Parents must:
• Ensure that students are at the pick-up point at the designated time. Please note that a bus will wait only two minutes after the specified time before moving on to the next pick-up point. Unfortunately, we will not have the time to call you to check where your child is, and the school will not be responsible for subsequent travel to school. Please note that these 2 minutes should not be used daily.
• Inform the Service Support Department if for any reason, your child will not be using the bus or if there are any changes to their daily travel arrangements, as outlined above.
• When determining a request for a change of drop-off or pick-up location, the Service
The Support Department has the right to refuse a request if the destination is not within the transport area of service, there is no seat available on the bus, or the goal is not considered appropriate for whatever reason.
• Ensure students are aware of appropriate behavior on the bus and the consequences of misbehavior while on the bus.
• Make students aware that they must wear a seatbelt at all times.
• Ensure an adult is present to greet students on arrival at home. Parents are responsible for their children when the bus nannies help them onto the minibus in the morning and when the bus nannies release them at home in the afternoon.
• Provide information on students' allergies to school/school buses.
In the beginning, if your child feels uncomfortable using the school bus, parents are welcome and encouraged to use the School Bus Service and accompany their children to and from school. There is no cost for this service - we ask that you pre-book your seat in advance to check if a seat is available. Parents can use the front seat beside the driver. Availability is based on a first-come, first-served basis. Seats are only available on an existing route and stop; special pick-up & drop-off requests cannot be accommodated.
Senior Management Responsibilities
The Head, Deputy Head, or appropriate teacher will follow up with individual students whose behavior on the bus causes concern. They will also ensure that students are reminded regularly of behavioral expectations.
Communication
In case of an emergency or transport problem, we will inform parents by msg or phone. Please ensure that your contact information is up to date as recorded in the school database. Please update via the Admissions office if any contact information changes.
Seating
The seating plan for each student on the bus will be assigned by Service Support Department and implemented by the Bus nannies. As a rule, the youngest students are seated near the Bus Monitor, but this can be altered if a student needs to be near the Bus nannies for medical or behavioral reasons.
Food and Drink
Except for the water provided by the parent in each bus, the consumption of food and drink is not permitted on the School Bus Service.
Students should always leave the bus in the same condition as when they got on the bus.
Late Home Arrival
Where arrival home is likely to be late by 30 minutes or more (e.g., due to traffic), parents will be contacted by the School Bus Office. Parents may also call the Service Support Department if they have a query regarding the drop-off time.
I appreciate your support.
Mr. Emre Coban
School Transportation Manager
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SPECIAL PROVISION
GPS (Global Position System) Vehicle Tracking Device Usage
Oak Meadow will monitor the
• speed of the bus
• the location of the bus
• The driver's driving performance through a GPS (Global Position System) Vehicle Tracking Device Usage. Any irregularities will be investigated as soon as possible.
CCTV
CCTV is installed on the installed-on windshield/windscreen of school buses. These records drive performance.
Safety Features
• Safety Belts: seat belts are installed on all seats for the safety and comfort of all passengers. Students are always required to fasten their seat belts.
• Maintenance: all Oak meadow school buses meet Thai safety standards and undergo comprehensive maintenance routinely. Oak meadow has its garage and maintenance department for prompt service.
• Alcohol: Each driver must pass a daily alcohol safety check using a new advanced ‘Alcohol Electronic Detector’ before they are released for duty.
• Training Programme: emphasizes safety, punctuality, and commitment to prompt and courteous service.
Speed Limits
school buses never operate at speeds that exceed the following:
• 10-15 kph on school grounds
• 30-35 kph on a narrow street
• 60-75 kph in municipal area
• 80 kph on the expressway
The speed will be further reduced where there is heavy traffic, bad weather, or other adverse circumstances to ensure the safety of the passenger, pedestrians, and the general public.
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