Everything you need to knowBefore you register

The vehicles are operated by Barnes Coaches, a long-established Swindon operator who also run their own school services into Stroud and Marling. We arrange the routes, manage registrations and look after families; Barnes provide the vehicle and driver.

Yes. Every driver holds a current enhanced DBS certificate.

No. The driver keeps a register and checks each child on, but there is no separate escort. This is normal for school coach services of this kind.

We ask our operator to keep drivers consistent on each route, because it matters to younger children and to us. Depending on shift patterns a route may be shared between two regular drivers, and a relief driver will occasionally cover holidays or sickness. Either way your child should be seeing familiar faces rather than someone different each day.

Yes, and they must be worn for the whole journey. The driver checks belts before the coach joins the A419.

We send you the parent pack and the contract to sign, and an invoice for the deposit. Your place is confirmed once the signed paperwork is back and the deposit has cleared. You will then receive the route pack, with every stop, the timings and photographs of where to wait.

No. Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and are only confirmed once the deposit has cleared in our account. Where a route is full we operate a waiting list.

Yes, and there is a sibling discount. Please register each child separately and mention the sibling when you do, and we will apply it.

Ten monthly instalments, due on the 1st of each month from August to May. We invoice about a month in advance. Payment is by bank transfer, and the account details and reference to use are on your invoice.

Yes. If you would prefer to pay the year in full, or a term at a time, just tell us and we will invoice accordingly.

No. Places are booked for the full academic year. We pay the operator a fixed daily rate whether the vehicle runs full or with an empty seat, so we are not able to offer part-time places, or refunds for days not travelled.

We will send a reminder. If an instalment remains unpaid we may suspend travel until the account is up to date, and repeated late payment can result in the place being withdrawn. If you are having difficulty, please tell us before the due date rather than after. We would far rather agree something with you.

Yes. Your child may board or alight at any stop on the route. Please do check the times, as the morning and afternoon stops are not always in the same place.

Sometimes. Stops at the very start or the very end of a route are much easier to add than ones in the middle, because a mid-route stop adds time for everyone already on board. Ask us and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible.

The route pages carry the current published timings and are dated. If anything changes we update them, and the date at the top tells you when. Please treat the website as the definitive version rather than an older downloaded copy.

The coach cannot wait or turn back. Your child may be able to reach a later stop before it departs; otherwise you will need to make your own arrangements that morning.

Yes. Drivers are instructed not to leave a stop before its published time. Please still be there five minutes early.

Roughly an hour to Cheltenham, and a little over an hour to Gloucester, depending on which stop you use.

We have built extra time into the published morning timetable from the outset, so we expect to arrive early rather than late. Once we are confident the journey works reliably we intend to relax the times slightly, and we will confirm before making any change. Afternoon times may run late in the first few weeks while we assess the road.

We will pass on what we know, when we know it. We are a booking service rather than the operator, so we do not have live vehicle tracking and cannot give minute-by-minute updates. In poor weather or heavy traffic, please allow for the coach running late.

No. The coach waits until the published departure time and then continues.

Water only, and no hot or strong-smelling food. It is an enclosed space for over an hour.

The coach is treated as an extension of the school day. Our Code of Conduct sets out what we expect and what happens if there is a problem: a reminder first, then a seating change or a conversation with you, and withdrawal of the place only as a last resort. Serious matters are dealt with immediately.

The deposit is non-refundable except where we cancel the service. Please tell us as early as possible so the place can go to someone on the waiting list.

If we cancel before the service begins and cannot offer a reasonable alternative, we refund everything you have paid, including the deposit.

Of course. Get in touch and we will answer honestly, including telling you if we think another service would suit your family better.