Stagecoach West has issues guidance on school buses in Wiltshire to support pupils’ safe return to classes and college this month.

The government has allocated more than £40m to local authorities to provide dedicated transport for schools and colleges in England.

Stage Coach has worked in partnership with councils to introduce new dedicated school bis services.

Many special school services will run collectively with the regular planned public services, however the special school bus services will be clearly marked for school services.

These services can only be used by school children and following government advice, all the seat are available for use and face coverings are recommended for all children over 11 – unless they are exempt. Details on exemptions are available at stagecoach.com.

All public bus services will continue to observe social distancing guidelines and, in line with government advice, face coverings must be worn by everybody over 11 years old, unless exemptions apply.

Stagecoach has put a range of measures in place to help everybody feel safe and confident in using its services.

All bus, tram and coach services have been accredited with Visit Britain’s ‘We’re Good to Go’ official mark, recognising the work carried out to meet government and industry Covid-19 guidelines and the processes in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social distancing.

The comprehensive regime includes daily cleans and contactless payments, in addition to the government's mandatory use of face coverings.

Rupert Cox, managing director at Stagecoach West, said: “We want to make sure that as pupils return to school and college and more people start to get to work, they can be confident about their journey with us.

“We’ve worked closely with local authorities to put a number of additional measures in place including dedicated school bus services and extra buses on busy routes to ensure we can separate school children and public bus services wherever it’s possible to do so.

“We’re continuing with our extensive daily cleaning of all buses and coaches and with everybody playing their part and following the rules on wearing face coverings and hygiene, local residents can continue to travel to work, school and college by bus safely and confidently.”

Full information on dedicated school services can be found at https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/west/school-buses