Terms and Conditions
Please take time to check out our
terms and conditions – they’re here to protect us both. It is important to us that you understand the
terms on which we are making our agreement.
Importantly, your booking with us
is subject to both T4S Terms of Business (which define and explain our
obligations to you and the role that we play) and the specific booking
conditions and fees applicable during the term of our agreement
When you make a Booking with us it
confirms that you accept these Terms and Conditions.
1. GENERAL CONDITIONS & GUIDELINES
T4S provides a bus service to transport students to and from school. Stops are chosen for safety, location, and for the convenience of the greatest number of students.
T4S reserves the right to modify terms and conditions of the
Transportation Service before the start of any term.
You will be subject to the policies and terms and conditions in force at the time that you place bookings with from us, unless any change to those policies or these terms and conditions is required to be made by law or governmental authority (in which case it will apply to orders previously placed by you), or if we notify you of the change to those policies or these terms and conditions before we send you the Confirmation (in which case we have the right to assume that you have accepted the change to the terms and conditions, unless you notify us to the contrary within seven working days of receipt by you of the Services).
- The Transportation Service is provided by professional carriers who are selected by T4S according to the following criteria:
- Provide the service strictly in accordance with all laws, rules and regulations to the
provision of the Services (whether or not legally binding);
- Provide all necessary licenses and consents required in relation to the
provision of the Services.
- Vehicles meet high security
standards, including seat belts and evacuation system.
- Drivers are subjected to strict
criminal records checks before they are allowed to drive for T4S.
- T4S will provide a chaperone on each bus that will supervise children’s safety, coordinate with parents and assist the bus drivers. All our chaperones are CRB checked.
2. SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BOOKINGS
- Subscriptions will be made online, by post or by e-mail.
- A contract between us will exist when we send you confirmation by fax, email or letter of your booking. The Services will be supplied for the term detailed in the booking confirmation.a) You are legally capable of entering into binding contracts; and you are at least 18 years old.b) The details you have provided to us in relation to the name, age, gender and requirements of the Passenger, the subject of the Bus ticket you order from us (T4S), are true and accurate in all respects.
- Any Bus Ticket
purchased from us (T4S) is strictly non-transferable, and may only be used by
the named Passenger, unless we agree otherwise in writing.
If your booking has been paid
for by another person on your behalf, we are entitled to assume that such
person is authorised by you to deal with us on your behalf in relation to all
matters concerning your booking (including, but not limited to, cancellation or
changes). If you wish to cancel or restrict that authority, it is your
responsibility to notify us in writing.
The person making the booking is
classed as the “lead name” in any booking. Where you are the lead name
you guarantee to us that you have the authority to accept (and do accept) these
Terms and Conditions (and our Regulations and Policies) for each person named
in your booking and that you have drawn these Terms and Conditions to their
attention. You will be the primary contact with us and will accept any
communications/correspondence from us (or our suppliers) on behalf of your
entire party.
- You may order a
Bus ticket from us for use by an individual named by you. In ordering the Bus
ticket, you shall stipulate the name of the Passenger, his or her age, the
school at which the Passenger attends, and (if the Passenger is under 16)
contact details of an individual to contact in circumstances of an emergency
arising. These
contact details must include a mobile number and a home number so that we can
also inform you of any changes, amendments, or delays which may apply to your
booking. If you fail to meet this obligation and we cannot reach you, we
will not be liable to you or anyone else in your booking for any loss or
expense you and they incur because of a lack of information from us about such
a change, amendment, or delay.
- Bookings will
NOT be automatically renewed each term. Each booking to the bus service needs
to be renewed each term through our online Application Form and will only be
accepted and valid after confirmation by T4S of received of your payment.
- Only students who are booked are able to use the Transportation Service.
3. REFUNDS
- The Bus Service Fee will not be reimbursed (Refund) by T4S in case of the student’s inability to use the Bus Service or his lack of use of the Bus Service for whatever reason.
- However if due to any reason other than force majeure, the Bus Service is not available for the students, the students/his parents may ask for the refund of the price per journey per day that the Bus Service is not available.
- NO REFUNDS will be given by T4S if:
a) You
cancel your booking once the term has started.
b) You
do not use the bus either fully or partially at the appropriate time (the term
booked).
c) You
change your booking and the charges for the Rental Services are less than the amount you paid for the
original booking.
- Notwithstanding the foregoing, for students having subscribed and paid the Bus Service for an entire School Year, T4S will reimburse 25% of the paid Bus Service Fees if the student leaves the school before January 31.
4. PRICES AND PAYMENT
- Routes, schedules, and prices are revised each term according to demand, efficiency and costs.
- The amount of the fee for the Bus Service is published on the T4S website www.transport4schools.org or is available upon simple request. These prices include V.A.T.
- Payment for the Services will be invoiced termly in advance of each school term and must be paid in full before the start of such term.
- A Bus ticket can only be purchased for a minimum of one full school term. If you elect to use the Services for less than that number of days, you are still required to pay the full amount of the Bus Pass.
- Payments can be made by cheque or bank transfer to avoid commission fees. However, we also provide the PayPal facility via our website. Please note that PayPal will charge you the correspondent fee.
- T4S has the right to suspend the use of the Bus Service if the Bus Service Fee is not fully paid on the due date.
- Please note that charges are based on a full week single or return ticket. Those who elect to use the service for less are still required to pay the full amount.
- Pupils may not use the coach for any journeys for which they are not normally scheduled, on either their own or other routes, unless prior payment and permission has been given by T4S.
- Pupils may not use the coach to take to or bring home from School anyone who is not a member of the scheme, unless prior payment of one of T4S’s vouchers.
- If we have reason to suspect fraudulent use of a confirmation, transfer to a different person, or other abuse, we reserve the right to refuse you travel on our service(s). No refund will be made in relation to any confirmation refused due to fraudulent use.
5. STUDENTS BEHAVIOR & SAFETY ISSUES
- Seatbelts must be worn at all times when the coach is moving. All passengers must remain seated while a coach is in motion, as well as to act in a manner that does not disturb the driver when driving. It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that the students are well aware of these obligations.
- The student using the Bus is obliged to follow the instructions of the bus drivers and the bus chaperones.
T4S declines all
responsibility/liabilities if the previous two conditions are not respected,
including but not limited to the safety and the security of the children, and
T4S reserves the right, at its discretion, to suspend or exclude the student
from using the Bus Service in case of repeated non compliance with these two
above paragraphs. In such event, no reimbursement of Bus Service Fess will take
place.
The student is expected to behave
in an appropriate manner at all times.
In case of inappropriate behaviour
by a student during bus travel, we will give the student 3 warnings:
1. An oral warning will be given by the chaperone to the student in a first stage. In case the inappropriate behavior of the student sustains,
2.
A second warning will be given in
writing by T4S to the student’s parents. If the inappropriate behaviour of the student sustains,
3.
A third warning will be given to
the Headmaster/Headmistress of the student’s school.
If the inappropriate behaviour of the student sustains even after these three warnings, the student will be temporarily suspended or definitively removed from the Bus Service, at the discretion of T4S, without prejudice to all other remedies T4S deems appropriate. In such event, T4S shall NOT reimburse the paid Bus Services Fees to the student.
- The parents of
the students will be liable for any damage of whatever nature caused by their
children’s behaviour or inflicted by their children, whether intentionally or
not, to other students, the bus driver, the bus chaperone or any other third
party, as well as to the bus and or anyone’s belongings/goods/properties, and
will hold the T4S harmless from any claim in that respect.
- In the
event of children missing the return bus, please ensure that your child knows
what he/she should do. He/she may wait in the School until collected or arrange
for another family to take them home.
- Keep us updated of your contact details at all times.
- Pupils are responsible for their own belongings. The bus company and/or T4S will bring back any left belongings to their office. Belongings not collected within a month will go to Oxfam.
- For safety, we are only able to pick up children at our designated bus stops. We are not permitted to pick up or set down at any point without a designated bus stop unless if agreed in advance with T4S.
6. RESPONSIBILITIES AND BUS CHANGES
- T4S organises the Bus Services in the best possible manner. The bus coordinator can be reached preferably by email at info@transport4schools.org or by phone at Tel. 0207 916 7265 from 9.30.am until 3.30pm during the school days. Emergency No. 07512 322952 from 7.00 am until 8.00am and from 3.30pm till 4.30pm.
- In the morning, there is no obligation for the bus driver to wait, should the student no be at the bus stop at the scheduled departure time. It is the parents´ responsibility to ensure that the student gets to the school in case the student misses the bus. Students should be ready and waiting at the bus stop at least 5 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time
- In the afternoon the parents or a person designated by the parents must be at the bus stop to pick up their children. If the parent or a designee is not at the bus stop, the child stays on the bus, the bus chaperone will call the parent and a suitable solution will be worked out. Any additional costs will be charged to the parents. However, in no event is T4S responsible/liable for any events that occur after the student gets off the bus.
- In the case a child is not taking the school bus in the morning or afternoon, his parents shall always notify the chaperone on their bus by sending a text message not latter than two hours before the collecting time.
A copy of this message or an e-mail should be sent to the bus coordinator at the same time info@transport4schools.org.
- Parents shall inform Transport 4 Schools of any changes to travel arrangements well in advance. This includes changing days of travel, bus stop pick up or drop off point, or name of person meeting your child (if under 9yrs old). Note that chaperone and driver are not authorized to make these changes on your behalf. All changes must be notified to our office info@transport4schools.org.
- Moving from one route to another must be notified to T4S at least a week prior to such change. This can only be made by sending e-mail to info@transport4schools.org Your request will be handled at the earliest convenience and replied by email. However, T4S is not obliged to honour the request for a bus route change.
7. COMMUNICATION
- To guarantee effective Bus Service communication, parents must submit their email address(es) and mobile phone number(s) by means of the Bus Service Form. Any changes during the School Year must be communicated to the Bus Coordinator immediately by means of an email to info@transport4schools.org.
- In this respect, it is imperative that parents are reachable on their mobile phones when the Bus Service is in operation (Morning: 7.00 till 8.30 am, Afternoon: 3.15 till 5.00 pm).
- Daily normal delays due to traffic, road works etc, will be communicated to the parents by text message or call from the chaperone on your bus route. In the event of mayor bus delays for whatsoever reason or in case of a major disruption of the Bus Service (i.e. snow, road closure, failure the driver to arrive etc.) the parents will be informed by T4S either by telephone, mobile, text messages, email.
- We will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any of our obligations under a Contract that is caused by events outside our reasonable control. We will use our reasonable endeavours to help bring the disruption to an end or to find a solution by which our obligations under the Contract may be performed despite a mayor disruption.
8. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Should you have a complaint about any aspect of your booking or your child’s journey, you must notify our bus coordinator, or one of our representatives immediately so that the problem can be quickly resolved. If the matter cannot be resolved, you must immediately complete a Customer Complaint Form available on request from our office.
9. APPLICATION OF THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- These general terms and conditions apply to all issues related to the Bus Service, including to each Bus Service Agreement entered into between T4S and the students/his parents.
- These general terms and conditions will be governed by the Laws of England and Wales. All disputes arising out of or inn connection with these general terms and conditions shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
- The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision(s) of these general terms and conditions shall in no way affect the validity or enforcement of any other provision(s) or any part thereof.