School Bus Services
School Bus Services
Flagfinders are a trusted provider of education transport services. We work closely in partnership with a wide range of local schools and colleges, and also deliver home to school transport on behalf of Essex County Council. All Flagfinders drivers hold enhanced DBS certificates, and our vehicles are maintained to the highest standards. Our commitment to you is to deliver a high quality, reliable transport service, keeping your children safe whilst travelling with us. Many of our vehicles are Euro6 compliant, allowing us to travel inside London's Low Emission Zone without incurring additional costs.
Are you a school or college looking to hire a bus or coach? Whether you want to make a one off booking, or request a quote for an ongoing contract, please contact us on enquiries@flagfinders.com and our friendly team will be happy to help.
Our school bus services serve a range of schools across central and north Essex. Full details can be found below. If you receive free school transport from Essex County Council, you do not need to attempt to book or purchase a bus pass from us. You will be contacted by our team with details of the transport that has been arranged for your child once this is agreed with Essex County Council. If you have not yet applied for free school transport, you must do so online as soon as possible at www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/school-transport.
If you do not receive free school transport, and wish to purchase a bus pass, please go to flagfinders.vectare.co.uk to make a booking. You will need to create an account if it is the first time that you have booked with us for the 2024-2025 academic year, as we have recently moved to a new booking system. When you make your booking, please supply a mobile telephone number that will be checked on the day of travel, as if there are any adverse weather conditions, traffic delays, school closures or other service disruption we will notify you by text message.
You can also follow us on Facebook for operational updates - www.facebook.com/Flagfinders.
LOST PROPERTY QUERIES:
If you think that you may have lost something on one of our school buses, please contact the relevant depot / operator who operates your route. Please see below for contact details for each school which we serve.
Time table change to Route 814
ROAD WORKS UPDATES
TEMPORARY REVISED TIMETABLE DUE TO ROAD WORKS IN EARLS COLNE - 814 SUMMARY TIMETABLE- TIMETABLE WILL START ON MONDAY THE 18TH OF NOVEMBER.
Parker Way 7:36 - 16:21
Halstead, Lock Road 7:37 - 16:22
Halstead, Pretoria Rd 7:43 - 16:12
Halstead, Courtauld Playing Fields 7:45 - 16:10
Earls Colne, Station Road 7:50 - 16:05
Earls Colne, Atlas Road 7:52 - 16:00
Colne Engaine, Oddcroft 7:55 - 15:47
Earls Colne, The Lion 7:59 - 15:46
Earls Colne, Church Hill 8:00 - 15:45
White Colne, Bures Road 8:13 - 15:37
Wakes Colne, The Street 8:15 - 15:35
Great Tey, Pattock Lane 8:19 - 15:29
Coggeshall, Honywood Avenue (Honywood School) 8:35 - 15:20
Stops Highlighted in Yellow are running 10 minutes earlier in the morning due to the Road works in Earls Colne on the High Street. These road works are scheduled to finish on the 29th Of November. We will monitor the route and notify you of any changes, if needed.
Kind Regards
-
2024 - 2025 School Bus Service Information
Flagfinders School Bus Services
Flagfinders operate a range of bus and coach services on behalf of local schools and colleges. We also transport students to and from school on behalf of Essex County Council. We are now part of the Transport Made Simple Group, and have made a number of changes to our school bus networks for the forthcoming academic year. Please read this information carefully before attempting to book transport with us, as you may need to book with a different operator, or contact Essex County Council, even if you travel on one of our vehicles.
If you are entitled to free home to school transport from Essex County Council, you should have received a letter from them confirming this. If a letter has not been issued, transport has not been approved by the Council. We cannot assist with queries in relation to this; you must contact Essex County Council directly - https://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/school-transport.
Please note that all bus passes purchased online are strictly non-refundable and non-transferable, under any circumstances. You can choose to pay termly. However, the balance for the Spring term must be paid at October half term, and the balance for the Summer term must be paid at February half term. It is no longer possible to purchase a discounted bus pass for Year 11 or Year 13 students.
If you previously travelled on route 716 to Colchester schools, please be advised that this route has now been renumbered to route 826.
If you previously travelled on route 223 to Hedingham School, please be advised that this route has now been renumbered to route 60, and extended to operate all day, between Braintree, Halstead, Sible Hedingham and Sudbury.
We will continue to operate transport to Ridgewell Primary School and Steeple Bumpstead Primary School on behalf of ACME Transport Services. We will no longer operate transport to Stour Valley Community School; passengers should contact De Vere Travel Group for further information. We will no longer operate transport to Tabor Academy on behalf of ACME Transport Services; passengers should contact 24x7 Limited for further information.
Please do not contact the Flagfinders office for information about any of the bus services on this page. All queries must be sent to our Customer Services team by email. They can be contacted on contact@central-connect.co.uk. We do not offer any telephone support for home to school transport services. Please do not telephone us, as we will not be able to help you over the phone. There are no exceptions to these arrangements.
Colchester High School
Flagfinders operate the Danbury coach route to Colchester High School. For further information, and to make a booking, please refer to the school website at https://www.colchesterhighschool.co.uk/transport-to-school/.
Forest Hall School
Students travelling to Forest Hall School will be allocated seats on routes 830, 831 or 832, which will be operated on our behalf by Central Connect (Galleon Travel 2009 Limited). Further details will be available here when known. Please do not contact us regarding transport to Forest Hall School; you will be contacted directly once the route planning process has been completed.
Helena Romanes School, Great Dunmow
Students travelling to Helena Romanes School can purchase seats on routes 827 and 828. Sales are now open.
Honywood School, Coggeshall
Students travelling to Honywood School can purchase seats on routes 814 and 815. Sales are now open.
If you are entitled to free home to school transport from Essex County Council, and have received your letter confirming this, we will be in touch in late August. You do not need to book.
Great Easton Primary School
Students travelling to Great Easton Primary School will be allocated seats on route 833. Further details will be available here when known. Please do not contact us regarding transport to Great Easton Primary School; you will be contacted directly once the route planning process has been completed.
John Warner School
Students travelling to John Warner School will be allocated seats on route 801, which will be operated on our behalf by Central Connect (Galleon Travel 2009 Limited). Further details will be available here when known. Please do not contact us regarding transport to John Warner School; you will be contacted directly once the route planning process has been completed.
New Hall School
Flagfinders operate the Sible Hedingham coach route to New Hall School, in Chelmsford. For further information, and to make a booking, please go to www.newhall.vectare.co.uk.
New Rickstones Academy, Witham
Students travelling to New Rickstones Academy can purchase seats on route 819. Sales are now open.
If you are entitled to free home to school transport from Essex County Council, and have received your letter confirming this, we will be in touch in late August. You do not need to book.
Notley High School, Braintree
Students travelling to Notley High School can purchase seats on route 814. Sales are now open.
Ramsey Academy, Halstead
Students travelling to Ramsey Academy can purchase seats on routes 817 and 818. Sales are now open.
If you are entitled to free home to school transport from Essex County Council, and have received your letter confirming this, we will be in touch in late August. You do not need to book.
Thurstable School
We continue to work with Essex County Council to finalise transport arrangements for Thurstable School. If you wish to purchase a ticket for Thurstable School, please check back here in late August, for further details.
Please do not contact the Flagfinders office for information about any of the bus services on this page. All queries must be sent to our Customer Services team by email. They can be contacted on contact@central-connect.co.uk. We do not offer any telephone support for home to school transport services. Please do not telephone us, as we will not be able to help you over the phone. There are no exceptions to these arrangements. -
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: 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. for example service runs open to the public.
Downstairs - Year 7/8/9 (year 9 can be a split group)
Upstairs - Year 9/10 /11/12/13
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.
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
- You must be waiting at your bus stop five minutes prior to the scheduled departure time of your bus.
- You must be waiting at the bus stop, clearly visible to the driver and not waiting in a car or any other vehicle.
- You must signal clearly to the bus driver as the bus approaches to indicate that you wish to board the bus.
- You must behave appropriately on board our school buses. Poor behaviour will be addressed with the school and Local Authority, and may result in a temporary or permanent bus travel ban. No refunds are offered in these situations.
- Please report lost property to us by email on enquiries@flagfinders.co.uk and we will be happy to check which bus you travelled on, and try and reunite you with your lost item(s). We will arrange for you to collect lost property from an appropriate bus or one of our depots.
- No Vaping is permitted at anytime whilst travelling on the vehicle. It's Illegal. Anyone seen vaping risks losing loss of travel. Please respect your space and those around you.
Lost property queries: Please email enquiries@flagfinders.com or telephone 01376 320 501 between 08:30 and 17:30.
Lost property queries: Please email info@donscoaches.co.uk.
Lost property queries: Lost property queries: Please email info@donscoaches.co.uk if your passenger travels on route GE1, or speak directly to Easton Elite Cars if your passenger travels in a taxi.
Lost property queries: Please email enquiries@flagfinders.com or telephone 01376 320 501 between 08:30 and 17:30.
If you are entitled to free home to school transport from Essex County Council, and have received your letter confirming this, we will be in touch in late August. You do not need to book.
Lost property queries: Please email enquiries@flagfinders.com or telephone 01376 320 501 between 08:30 and 17:30.
Lost property queries: Please email contact@central-connect.co.uk.
If you are entitled to free home to school transport from Essex County Council, and have received your letter confirming this, we will be in touch in late August. You do not need to book.
Lost property queries: Please email enquiries@flagfinders.com or telephone 01376 320 501 between 08:30 and 17:30.
Lost property queries: Please email enquiries@flagfinders.com or telephone 01376 320 501 between 08:30 and 17:30.
If you are entitled to free home to school transport from Essex County Council, and have received your letter confirming this, we will be in touch in late August. You do not need to book.
Lost property queries: Please email enquiries@flagfinders.com or telephone 01376 320 501 between 08:30 and 17:30.
If you are entitled to free home to school transport from Essex County Council, and have received your letter confirming this, we will be in touch in late August. You do not need to book.
Lost property queries: Please email enquiries@flagfinders.com or telephone 01376 320 501 between 08:30 and 17:30.