School Bus Timetables
School Transport
We are a safe and reliable company with vehicle maintenance a priority. Our drivers are enhanced CRB checked therefore passing any risk assessments compulsory to your school/college for your Private Hire requirements.
We operate some vehicles that are compliant with the LEZ - London Low Emission Zone.
We operate Private School & College Contracts as well as Service Routes 716 & 223. Our 716 service operates from Hedingham, Halstead to Colchester Lexden Road, whiclst our 223 Route operates from Braintree to Halstead and Hedingham. Termly passes are available. If you require further information regarding any of the above transport please contact the Office on: 01376 320501.
Please follow us on Facebook for upto date route information due to adverse weather,traffic delays or School Closures.
We operate an message ALERT system via our Shuttle ID service for updates on School bus transport due to adverse weather,traffic delays or School Closures. If you would like to be added to this texting service please contact the Flagfinder Office on 01376 320501.
USEFUL INFORMATION - Click Links Below
School transport: Using school transport: guidance for parents - Essex County Council
School term and holiday dates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
BUS PASS TICKET INFORMATION!
156Shuttle ID Passes
Please ensure you have your QR-Code ready for boarding.
All ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER, STATING THAT YOUR CHILD/CHILDREN CAN TRAVEL ON THEIR SPECIFIC ROUTE. Please do not throw this letter away as it is a temporary pass and proof of travel. Essex county passes will be issued later in the month, once all data has been received.
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Transport Student Travel Guidance (PLEASE READ)
Getting Children to School: We will be working with the Local Education Authority and schools to ensure we follow the guidance available to secure the safety of drivers and students when they travel on school transport.
Using our home to school transport: The guidance for ‘Dedicated School Transport’ does not require social distancing. This means that we will largely be running our normal services and vehicle capacity. We will still be having assigned areas for year groups as we found this worked well last year. All students are to sit in their assigned groups indicated by stickers displayed around the bus.
Downstairs - Year 7/8/9 (year 9 can be a split group)
Upstairs - Year 9/10 /11/12/13
As far as is logistically possible we will group children on the vehicles to reflect their year groups in school, however on some journeys this may not be possible.
Boarding a Service: It’s important that you arrive at your bus stop 5 minutes before departure. Please wait and queue in an organized manner. When boarding the vehicle from your designated stop please board one passenger at a time and have your bus pass ready to show the driver. Please don’t push and keep to your own space.
Disembarking a service: Double Decker -Students from the bottom deck will depart first followed by the top deck starting front to back. Please don’t push, be patient and respectful to all students.
Single Decker Coach/Bus - Please depart the vehicle front to back. Please don’t push, be patient and respectful to all students.
Behaviour: Responsible behaviour when travelling on school buses is of paramount importance. It is imperative that all students observe the conduct expectations set out by Flagfinders, particularly regarding the seating areas assigned to specific year groups.
Incidents on school transport will be dealt with in liaison with the Local Education Authority, schools and Flagfinders and could include in a verbal reprimand, a letter to parents, a fixed term ban from school transport or a permanent ban from school transport.
We ask for your help in:
• Staying in your seat whilst the vehicle is in motion.
• NO VAPING AT ANY TIME ON THE VEHICLE - ITS ILLEGAL.
• ANYONE SEEN VAPING RISKS LOSS OF TRAVEL.
• Respect your space and those around you on the vehicle.
• Do not distract the driver and respect their personal space
• Try to stay in control of your belongings.
• Keep your bus pass safe & do not pass it to another pupil.
• No food or drink to be consumed on the vehicles
Ventilation: Good ventilation is an important component to reduce the spread of viruses in confined spaces. Well ventilated spaces help prevent the build-up of viruses and reduce the risk of transmission. We encourage passengers to keep some windows open to help improve the natural ventilation on the vehicles.
Hand Sanitizer: Hand Sanitizer Stations are available on our vehicles, but we would request that children have their own hand sanitizer and use it before boarding and on disembarking.
Food and drink on vehicles: We would request that food and drink are not consumed on our vehicles at any time.
We thank you for taking the time to read this. Please can you reiterate to you child the importance of following these guidelines as it will protect us all going forward.
If you have any queries please call the main office on 01376 320501
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Shuttle ID School Ticketing System
From termly toil to complete control:
Flagfinders’ home-to-school travel
transformation
This successful family-run coach company revolutionised its admin and mastered its payments and passenger numbers, saving two days' work a week.
40%weekly admin saved
190,000journeys protected annually
About Flagfinders Coach HirePride of EssexFlagfinders is a family-run coach company based in Braintree in Essex. Established in 1976, it operates a well-maintained fleet and a wide range of transport solutions, including home-to-school travel.
Flagfinders is a company that prides itself on things running smoothly. With a suite of workshops to keep its fleet in tip-top condition, Flagfinders delivers a reliable service and fantastic safety record. It’s little wonder the business is in high demand.
The Flagfinders team: Wendy, Lesley and Trish
A bus pass system caught in the slow laneWhilst the business was a runaway success, Flagfinders’ school bus admin was one area struggling to stay up to speed.
As their home-to-school transport services grew, admin duo Wendy and Trish saw increasingly large chunks of their time (and paper!) consumed. The trail would begin when parents were issued with new bus pass application forms. Payment would be made by BACS or card payments taken over the phone. One-by-one, the forms and payments had to be matched and compiled onto a spreadsheet before passes could be printed and distributed. The constant calls and emails left little time for any other work, as Flagfinders’ director Lesley Cook-Leyden witnessed.
“It was such hard work,” said Lesley.
To use their time effectively, Wendy and Trish printed bus passes termly. But with infrequent use, the printing machine often didn’t work, making it a laborious task.
Pulling a fast oneOnce printed, bus passes were distributed via schools. But parents would ring Flagfinders, advising they hadn’t received theirs. Whilst a new pass could be issued, there was no way to retrieve or cancel the original, leaving every possibility that somebody somewhere was getting a free ride.
In pursuit of paymentKeeping track of payments proved difficult too. Between them, Wendy and Trish would check incoming payments against their spreadsheets. Wendy explained, “A lot of parents made one-off payments instead of setting up standing orders, so when the first regular payment was due, we were forever phoning and leaving messages to remind them to make the payment. Every month we could spend a couple of days just chasing debts.”
Time to regain controlWith 500+ passengers and the new academic year approaching, Flagfinders saw another mountain of work looming. In addition, Lesley wanted a better grasp on who was travelling on each service. She knew her drivers couldn’t memorise every pass as children boarded, or indeed catch students handing passes out through the windows to their friends. With the added problems of navigating Covid lockdowns, Lesley was ready to try something different.
“We had to start working smarter, not harder,” said Lesley.
More organisedLesley contacted ShuttleID and an online demo was arranged quickly with ShuttleID director, Emma Bell.
Emma explained how Flagfinders’ home-to-school travel could become more organised and structured, helping them to regain control and reduce costly administration time and effort.
It was soon clear that ShuttleID could make a huge difference almost overnight. With Emma and husband Chris at the end of the phone, Flagfinders soon had all their passes listed for sale online. Using both the card and direct debit options meant that the transition was super-easy for parents too. In fact, parents could now purchase passes 24/7, whether they were at home or on their lunch break – and all without having to contact Flagfinders or the school.
Working smarterInitially, parents questioned how long the ticket QR codes would take to come through. But they were happily surprised to see them land in their email instantly after purchase, ready for sharing to their child’s phone for immediate use.
Wendy and Trish, who both have experience in the banking sector, were thrilled by how much information the system provides, especially with regards to payments. They now have a complete handle on the direct debits and, conveniently, any failed payments are flagged.
What’s interesting is Flagfinders saw parents respond better to the direct debit ticket option. Wendy said, “Rather than constantly having to chase payments, we found only a few direct debits unpaid – but for genuine reasons. We've got way more control.”
Better for driversDrivers have since reported that scanning the ShuttleID QR Codes means the boarding process stays more orderly, as children no longer rush on to the bus together. Wendy said, “The students look after their phones a lot better than they looked after their passes, but the option to print the pass is a really good backup.”
Another satisfied customerWhen thinking back to previous years, during July and August, the Flagfinders team would be on the phone constantly dealing with passes. Now with ShuttleID, they estimate they are saving a couple of days a week easily.
Lesley and her team are ready for when the schools return each September and the fear of parents phoning up for last-minute tickets has gone. The team simply emails a ticket link, and a student can travel the same day. Lesley is completely assured of the number of tickets in circulation, and the school is happy to be relieved of dishing out passes.
Following the success of the system this year, Flagfinders will now be using it to manage their local authority student passes. Lesley and her team are relieved to finally get rid of their dreaded ticket printing machine!
“ShuttleID makes Flagfinders more efficient and certainly raises our profile,” said Trish.
Contact us to find out how we can helpPlease click the link below for the full story.https://shuttleid.uk/case-study-flagfinders-regain-control-of-admin-modernise-school-bus-service/
- Please ensure you are in place at least five minutes before the departure time.
- Please refer to our Facebook page for up-to-date information regarding delays. Roads and school closures.
- Behaviour: Responsible behaviour when travelling on school buses is of paramount importance. It is imperative that all students observe the conduct expectations set out by Flagfinders, particularly regarding the seating areas assigned to specific year groups.
- Incidents on school transport will be dealt with in liaison with the Local Education Authority, schools and Flagfinders and could include in a verbal reprimand, a letter to parents, a fixed term ban from school transport or a permanent ban from school transport.
- Lost Property, For all lost property outside of office hours 0800 - 1730 please e-mail office@flagfnders.com. Please include, what School route or private hire you were on, where on the vehicle the item was left and a description of the item. We hope to get back to you within a 24hr period.