Special transport

School transport services are a statutory duty governed by the Act relating to Primary and Secondary Education and Training (Education Act) of 17 July 1998 no. 61 and associated regulations.

School transport services are a free service for children with special needs in the former municipalities of Akershus and Lunner.

By pupils with special needs we mean pupils with disabilities or temporary injuries or illnesses. This is governed by section 7-3 of the Education Act and applies irrespective of the distance between the home and educational institution. These pupils will also have the right to transport to and from the afterschool service (SFO) and to transport before school finishes if their disability, injury, or illness so requires. Both physical and mental functional impairments are regarded as disabilities. Conditions that will pass are regarded as temporary injuries or illnesses. Read more here.

Applications for school transport must be submitted by the local school. Permanent changes during the school year, e.g. new school start and finish times and new home addresses, must also be submitted by the school. School transport services are provided by Ruter on behalf of the municipality or county authority.

Safety and reliability are priorities for all school transport journeys. All of our vehicles are fitted with GPS so that we know where they are at all times. Our drivers are well trained and versed in helping children with special needs and dealing with any emergencies.  

Our drivers have completed our Driving Academy, are trained in first aid, and have instructions on what to do in the event of accidents. 

In case of deviations from normal service due to traffic accidents, extreme driving conditions, and other challenges, we will do the following if we are unable to stick to our schedule:

1. 1. 1. Text message notifications for registered contact persons
         All mobile numbers linked to the individual pupil will receive a text message in which we provide information about the incident and how it will affect the planned transport. In the case of serious incidents, such as traffic accidents involving our minibuses or taxis, we will call the registered contact people and provide information about the incident and how it will affect the planned transport. In the case of minor delays, drivers will inform registered contact people of the deviation from normal service.

1. 1. 2. Telephone notifications for schools
         In the case of serious incidents, such as traffic accidents involving our minibuses or taxis, we will call the school and provide information about the incident and how it will affect the planned transport.

Journeys to and from afterschool services during school holidays and days off must be booked in addition to regular journeys. They must be booked by the school and are only available to pupils with special needs.

RuterBestilling provides an overview of all your journeys and allows you to cancel journeys or reactivate previously cancelled journeys. Read more about this here: How do I use RuterBestilling?

Important to know

Planning school transport for 4,500 pupils with different school start and finish times every day is a major job. To avoid delays and inconveniences for you as a parent or guardian, it is important to note that:

• • • The pupil must be ready for pickup in good time before the agreed pickup time
    • Journeys you do not intend to use, e.g. due to illness or for other reasons, must be cancelled.
    • If a pupil does not use the scheduled transport without registering a cancellation, the return journey must be reactivated in order for the pupil to be transported home.
    • If you cancel a journey and subsequently change your mind, the journey must be reactivated by no later than 12:00 the day before pickup.In these circumstances we cannot guarantee that you will have the same driver as the one first assigned.
    • Deviations from normal service can occur due to traffic accidents or extreme weather conditions. We hope for your understanding that such circumstances can result in delays.

Covid-19
Infection control

We take infection control seriously and comply with the authorities’ infection control recommendations. If the authorities’ recommendations change, we send out appropriate notifications about this and information about the measures we will be implementing. Buses and taxis are cleaned every day and drivers disinfect handles, armrests, seat belts, and other contact surfaces multiple times during the day using an approved disinfectant. Alcohol-based hand sanitiser is also always available on board. However, because drivers will stay the recommended distance away from pupils during boarding and disembarking, spraying pupils’ hands is difficult. Therefore, we encourage parents and guardians to equip children their own hand sanitiser.

Deviations from normal service due to changes by the authorities

For pupils with special needs, changes to the authorities’ recommendations, school cohort requirements, etc. can have consequences in the shape of them sometimes not having the same drivers for periods and/or delays. This is because we have a finite number of drivers and buses/taxis at our disposal. County authorities are responsible for funding school transport services and it takes time to carry out a public procurement once the funding is in place. That means that vehicles and drivers cannot simply be acquired overnight. We have also experienced challenges in relation to pupils with attendants where the attendant’s working hours have created challenges in relation to pickup and drop-off times during the Covid-19 pandemic.