Walking Bus information

Generally, if you have an informal walking bus, set up between parents to take it in turns walking to school, there are no requirements. Some of the most successful schemes have worked in this way.

They are easy to set up, uncomplicated to run and you don’t have to wait weeks to sort anything out. One fantastic set of pupils in Scotland organised their own walking bus! You can read about it in our Scottish newsletter on the website, or email if you want a hard copy.

Issues may arise if a walking bus becomes an official school initiative. However, the Scottish Parent Teacher Council notes a number of examples where no CRB check is required and have a leaflet on this – contact sptc@sptc.info or call 0131 226 4378. Generally, no checks are needed for volunteers for one-off activities. www.teachernet.gov.uk has more info in their Wholeschool Issues section.

The National Confederation of PTAs covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If a walking bus is a PTA activity in a school and that PTA is a member of the NCPTA, it can be covered under its Public Liability insurance. For more details call 01732 375460 or visit www.ncpta.org.uk

Many local authorities also provide insurance cover for walking buses and may help with risk assessments of routes. Email or call us if you need a contact.

There is full Walking Bus Guidance on www.dft.gov.uk: click on Sustainable Travel, School Travel and finally Grants for Walking Buses.

The best advice is often to start small and informal… if it really takes off, you can start looking at an ‘official’ initiative when more pupils want to join up! Make sure you get in touch with your council for local advice.

source material: www.saferoutestoschools.org.uk