How to Guide: book coaches

How to: book coaches Summer 2022

Introduction We must offer safe transportation when staff and students are travelling for trips, events, and co-curricular activities. Our home-to-school coach operators provide their drivers with additional safeguarding training and all have a long working relationship with the school.

It is important that we support our home-to-school operators by allowing them the opportunity to fulfil our trip bookings instead of other non-contracted operators.

Habs approved coach operators The three coach operators in the table below are the only three coach operators who are contracted to provide coach services to Habs. You can only request a quote from these three operators and you must send your request to all three operators at the same time.

If none of these operators have availability, please contact the Transport Manager for advice.

Hearn’s Coaches Web:

https://www.hearns-coaches.co.uk/

Email:

admin@hearns-coaches.co.uk

Telephone:

020 8954 5444

Southgate & Finchley Coaches Web:

http://www.southgate-finchley-coaches.co.uk/

Email:

office@southgate-finchley-coaches.co.uk

Telephone:

020 8368 0040 / 020 8368 3190

South Mimms Travel Web:

http://southmimmstravel.co.uk/

Email:

office@southmimmstravel.co.uk

Telephone:

01707 322 555

Essential booking information • You must keep to your booked times • Please factor in any possible delays when you book your coach • It is not always possible to accommodate lateness so do not assume that you can keep your driver waiting. The operators will make additional charges for lateness and in some circumstances may need to recall the coach to base without your passengers on board • Delays on your booking will impact other bookings. Coaches are not like taxis – a replacement cannot be easily found for other bookings later in the day. Your delay may prevent students from boarding the home to school coaches if you are late coming back to school in the afternoon. It is possible that the coach you are on is booked for a home to school journey in which case you will not only delay your passengers but also those travelling home from school.

• Delaying a coach significantly may mean that your driver’s legally limited hours are not enough to complete the return journey. In this case you will need to wait until they have taken their mandated rest break or whilst a replacement driver is found • Boarding and alighting at the coach park must not be booked for between 7am and 9am or 3.30pm and 4.30pm • If you must board or alight any coaches at the coach park between 7am and 9am or 3.30pm and 4pm, you must speak to the Transport Manager before you book.

• Failure to advise in advance of any planned boarding or alighting within this time frame may result in your coach being turned away from the coach park • You are entirely responsible for your own bookings • This includes making any changes or cancellations • All operators will have a cancellation and amendment policy. Make sure you give as much notice as possible to minimise any costs incurred • Please remember that not all amendments can be accommodated, particularly if requested at short notice • Give as much information as possible on your quotation request and make sure that your requirements are clear • Home to school coaches will not delay departure if a trip coach is late back to school.

Quote requests and bookings • Complete the Coach Trip Quotation Form. If you cannot find this form on HabsNet, HabsHub or the link does not work, please contact transportmanager@habsboys.org.uk or ext 1705 • Email the completed form to all approved coach operators listed previously • The operators who can fulfil your requirements will reply with their quotation on your form • Choose your preferred quotation and sign the returned quotation form • Email this signed quotation to the chosen operator, copying the Transport Manager and attach the Coach Park Map for Staff and Visitors (also available on HabsNet and HabsHub) • Your chosen operator will reply to you by email with confirmation of your booking.

Please ensure that you check the confirmation details are correct and that you are aware of the operator’s booking conditions. If there are any errors, they must be corrected as soon as possible • If your booking requires access to the coach park between 6am and 6pm Monday to Friday during term time, you must advise the Transport Manager so that access and parking can be arranged • There is no need to contact the other operators. Asking for quotation does not secure services.

Travelling on coaches • Staff are responsible for ensuring that students remain safe at the coach park. It is a live traffic area, and all pedestrians must stay on the pavement • Coaches must only board and alight to the pavement • Only board or alight passengers when you are certain it is safe to do so. Please refer to the Coach Park map for further instructions • Seatbelts must be worn by all passengers • For safety reasons, all luggage is to be stored under the seat, on the overhead luggage racks or in the luggage compartment. Luggage must not be stored on the seats • Only water may be consumed on the coach. No other food or drink is permitted • Staff should space themselves throughout the cabin of the coach and near to the emergency exits. This is so that in an emergency the vehicle can be evacuated efficiently, and to ensure that behavioural and general safety standards are met during the journey • In an emergency: • you will be responsible for operating one of the emergency exits.

Please ensure that you know where the emergency exits are on the vehicle and how to operate them (typically handle or hammer for the glass) • The driver will operate the front emergency exit(s), so you will be required to operate the mid or rear exits which can be doors or windows • Unless there is immediate danger requiring an emergency evacuation you must consult with the driver before taking any action • Do not alight passengers from the vehicle without consulting the driver first • Alighted passengers are your responsibility. You must supervise them at all times

• The fold-down seat next to the driver (known as the crew seat) must not be used

by Habs staff or students under any circumstances. This is a crew seat for coach company staff only • If you are delayed on your return and you anticipate your arrival at the coach park to fall between 3.30pm and 4.30pm, you must: • call the Transport Manager as early as possible and before arriving at the coach park and advise them of your estimated time of arrival • upon arrival the doors must remain closed and passengers must not be allowed to alight without direct permission and supervision from the Transport Manager. This is a vital safety measure as there will be vehicles moving on the coach park.

• The Transport Manager can be contacted on 020 8266 1705 or 07740 933010

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