Regulations
TRANSPORT REGULATIONS 2015-2016
Download the Regulations for the current year : transport regulations (rules) 2015/2016
| 1. General | ||
| 2. Membership Fee | ||
| 3. Enrolment | ||
| 4. Communication | ||
| 5. Badge | ||
| 6. Price and Payment | ||
| 7. Bus Lines | ||
| 8. Safety Regulations | ||
| 9. Agreement with the transport regulations | ||
| 10. Disclaimer |
The Parents Association of the European School Brussels IV (APEEE BRU IV) is an international association with educational aims.
In practice, the responsibility for organising and managing the bus transport service for the school is assumed by the Board of the APEEE, and more specifically by the member in charge of transport division, who works closely with the Transport Committee (voluntary parents) and the Transport Office (staff employed by the APEEE). The Transport office is available to parents for enrolment and all enquiries at the school.
The present regulations define the administrative procedures and the code of conduct for pupils and persons exercising parental authority over them, as well as their legal representatives.
By enrolling pupils in the bus service, the parents/persons exercising parental authority accept that the Transport Office together with the APEEE Board Member responsible for transport, in agreement with APEEE responsible for transport, can impose sanctions in the event that pupils, persons exercising parental authority or their representatives, cause incidents that put the security of the other passengers, the driver, the monitor or any other person in danger or cause damage to the bus.
To use the transport service of the APEEE, the yearly membership fee must be paid. The membership fee is to be paid to the Parents Association Brussels IV account. Details about the amount and account number are on the APEEE website (www.bru4.eu).
Only pupils enrolled for the service, or those who have bought a single trip ticket; and the bus monitors are allowed on the bus, under the conditions stated in the present regulations. The parents, or any other person who is not a pupil, cannot use the Transport service. Exceptional situations entitle the Transport Office to decide upon admitting in the bus a person other than those stated by the regulations, against a fair fee to be determined by the Transport Committee on a case by case basis. Such cases would include, for example, an assistant of a special needs pupil.
Staff of the Transport Office has the right to enter the buses to perform a specific task at the requirement of the Director/Transport manager, as it is, for example, the case with spot-checks.
Requests for enrolment must reach the Transport Office by the 31st of May in the school year preceding that for which the request is made. Opening of the enrolment, its conditions and the deadline as well as the enrolment form, are published on the Transport Office’s website.
Enrolment must be renewed each school year.
One form per pupil must be filled, even if said pupils come from the same household. In case of pupils in shared custody, if it has an impact on the pupil’s trips, the appropriate specifications must be made in the form and two separate subscriptions must be filled.
The request for enrolment must be made via the online form on the APEEE website.
As the number of buses and places in each bus are limited, the Transport Office will process the requests for enrolment received within the time limit first. An enrolment request cannot be made conditional on the creation or move of a stop. Requests for stops received before the deadline will be taken into account, whenever possible, for planning of routes for the next school year.
Should the number and/or content of the request received after the deadline be significant enough to require changes to the lines, the Transport Office may propose adaptations during the first school term. In any case, no guarantee can be given. Parents using the lines concerned by possible adaptations will be informed by e-mail at least the week prior to the change.
Pupils are authorised to use only the lines for which they are enrolled. They may punctually use another line if they have a ticket. How to buy a tickets is explained in chapter 6.5. The teachers and any other persons accompanying the child to the bus must be informed of any change by a note in the school agenda.
In case of residence change during the school year, the choice of a different bus stop in use, is possible if seats are available on the concerned line.
The respective request must be sent to the Transport Office at least 2 weeks in advance.
In exceptional cases, users may request to use another line or to use current lines on a different number of days, depending on the capacity of the bus (and availability of places). The Transport Office will check if such a change is possible, according to the bus capacity and the number of available seats.
Subscriptions are valid from the date requested and confirmed by the Transport Office until the end of the current school year. The fee is payable from the beginning of use of the service until the end of the school year.
As a general rule, without prejudice to the provisions stating otherwise here below, the Transport Office and the Transport Committee communicate general information to users through the website (www.bru4.eu).
Questions of personal nature/concerning one individual should be sent to the Transport Office by email. In case of emergency, especially during the transportation hours, users should contact the Transport Office by phone. The opening hours and the coordinates of the Transport Office are published on the website of the Parents Association.
Users must provide the Transport Office with a valid email address, postal address and Belgian mobile phone numbers. It is their responsibility to ensure that they can be reached in case of emergency. Therefore, parents should update this information as soon as any changes occur.
Any information of personal nature/concerning one individual is is, in principle, communicated by email.
Regarding the management of complaints concerning the service, please see section 8.4.
The school proposes that parents apply for a badge containing basic personal information.
We encourage you to fill in this badge which you can find on the school web site http://www.eeb4.be/node/195 and to insert it in the school agenda of your child.
In case of necessity, the bus monitor will rely on the content of this badge. If a change of bus line would occur, the badge must be updated.
The price of the subscription is provisionally estimated at the beginning of each school year to cover costs and budget reserves. After an audit of the annual account, a balance may be required. The estimated and later final price will be published on the website.
The price of the service is established primarily according to the following criteria:
– the number of pupils enrolled
– the number of buses
– the share of the costs of the APEEE.
Three types of subscriptions (100%, 90% and 65%) and one type of ticket are possible:
6.1 School Transport service in the morning and the afternoon (100% full subscription)
The price at 100% of the annual cost (complete subscription) gives the right to the regular use of a bus line, independently of the number of days it is used by the user:
– In the morning : from home to school
– In the afternoon and Wednesday noon :
1. Either from school to home,
OR
2. From school to one of the OIB child care centres where the child has a valid subscription
6.2 School Transport service in the morning and the afternoon EXCEPT on Friday (90% subscription)
This subscription type is only available for the children attending Nursery or Primary 1+2
Price at 90% of the yearly cost:
– Mornings: from home to school
– Afternoons and Wednesday noon – EXCEPT Friday noon and afternoon
1. Either from school to home,
OR
2. From school to one of the OIB child care centres where the child has a valid subscription
6.3 School Transport service in the afternoon ONLY to one OIB after school centre (65% subscription)
The Subscription at 65 % of the annual contribution gives right and is valid ONLY from school to an OIB child care centre, independently of the number of days really used by the student:
– In the morning : NO transport
– In the afternoon, Wednesday noon (and Friday noon only for the children of Nursery and Primary 1+2): from school only to an OIB child care centre where the child is enrolled
6.4 Supplementary line:
This formula is only available for the children who already have chosen one of the subscriptions mentioned at 6.1, 6.2 or 6.3.
The price is 65% of the school year cost for an additional bus line, morning or afternoon, independently of the number of days it is really used by the student, and which will be invoiced to the parents as additional cost to the already chosen yearly subscription, unless a European Institution will cover the cost of this supplementary line.
6.5. Tickets – One ticket type is available for punctual changes
The option to punctually use transport depends on the capacity available in the bus requested line. There is no guarantee that the seat is available on request.
Each family who have paid a yearly membership fee is entitled to maximum 4 tickets per month, 5 times a school year. The tickets have to be booked via the APEEE website, at last 24 hours before use. Booking is only available for the following 15 calendar days from the date of the online request.
Booking is only available for the following 15 calendar days from the date of the online request. Request evaluate the availability of the demanded bus lines and authorises or refuses the request for the concerned ticket.
Request for ticket should be sent the latest by noon of the previous working day.
The price of the ticket is:
– 3,00 € for a one way transport for the children already subscribed to yearly school transport (and who have no pending payments towards the transport service)
– 5,00 € for a one way transport for the children not enrolled to the APEEE transport service. (and who have no pending payments towards the APEEE transport service) but only in exceptional cases (change of school, punctual visits at EEBIV, etc.) and provided the authorisation of the Transport Office. In such cases, the ticket will be granted only if the yearly enrolment fee as APEEE member has been already been paid by the parent, which is a mandatory in allowing the use of the services of the APEEE Bru 4 (see point 2 of the present rules).
ATTENTION: the ticket system is not available or authorised before the 1st of November, as the Transport Office devotes the months of September and October to stabilizing the network of bus lines, which still has to be dramatically updated every year.
6.6. Payment procedure:
a) Payment by parents:
For the children attending Nursery and for the children who do not benefit from school allowances for Transport, from the European Institutions and European schools, the payments must be operated as following:
– In three bank instalments to the account of APEEE Transport by no later than 1st September, 1st January and 1st March of each school year ;
– using the structured communication contained in your child’sregistration.
An invoice will be issued on demand in case that the transport cost is not covered by school allowances by the European Institutions.
In case of non-payment by the present regulations, the APEEE has the right to refuse the access to the transport service, after two recalls, until the payment of the full amounts of the services to which you have subscribed.
In case of delay of two payments during one school year, the APEEE has the right to invoice in advance the full amount for the following school year.
b) Payment by the employer:
For pupils who are entitled to a school allowance from the European institutions and the European schools, the subscription can be paid by these within the limits of the school allocations, with the agreement of the responsible institution.
In this case, the APEEE charges directly the institutions under the condition that the parents fill correctly the request for school allowance according to the procedure in place.
In case of non-payment by the institution at the due date for whatever reason, the APEEE will invoice the transport costs directly to the parents and the parents must pay the fees (in one month maximum from the date of the invoice).
Subscription cancellation:
Except otherwise provided above, cancellation from the service is possible in the following cases:
– Change of Residence towards another European area;
– Transfer of pupil to another school
– In cases where the withdrawal is necessary for medical reasons with medical certificate.
Withdrawal must be notified by registered mail or email, with acknowledgement of receipt to the Transport Office at least 30 days prior to the effective date of withdrawal. If the conditions for cancellation/withdrawal are not met, the user is liable for the fee corresponding to the remainder of the trimester.
Without prejudice to the paragraph above, no withdrawal will be granted if the users have not paid the services used.
Lines are created taking into account the several abstract sizes of busses with the aim of filling a bus as much as possible and in the least stops as possible. To put a bus into circulation, the line must have at least 80% of the costs incurred covered by subscriptions.
The information concerning the bus lines, stops and timetables are published on the website. A bus timetable may be subject to changes. Such changes are communicated to the parents via e-mail at least the week before the change is implemented. Pupils (morning) and parents or their representatives in the afternoon must be at the bus stop 5 minutes before the scheduled time.
7.1 Delays and breakdowns
In the morning, if a bus is more than 15 minutes late or cannot be assured and the Transport Office has knowledge about this, the Transport Office will try to inform parents via adequate communication channels or parents can contact the Transport office.
If buses cannot circulate for any reason, ex. for heavy snow or a demonstration, the Transport Office will inform the school in order to take the appropriate measures and inform the parents via the class representatives.
7.2 Bus stops
Stops are susceptible to change from year to year in accordance with the evolution of the school population and location of pupil’s homes.
The stops on the lines must be created in a way to balance out between the different types of vehicles available.
The furthest stops must be reached every morning before those nearest the school. Every afternoon the nearest stops to the school are reached first.
Whenever possible buses use public transport lanes, they should also use public transport stops.
The following criteria are taken into consideration upon creating or suppressing stops:
-
- The numbers of pupils living in a specific area. Stops should, if possible, group children of several families.
- Distance between home and the nearest existing stop;
- Duration added to the total line;
- The total number of bus stops on the line, which should normally not exceed 10;
- Accessibility;
- Contractual limits and possibilities;
- Belgian relevant legislation.
The stops are created preferably on main roads, avoiding roads with speed bumps and using, as much as possible, stops already existing in the Belgian public transport lines.
It is not possible to create bus stops closer than 1000 m from the school.
Serious health or medical reasons will be taken into account for the creation of a stop to facilitate access to the bus.
Please contact us if your child requires any adjustements, at the email adress transport@bru4.eu in order to evaluate the possibility to propose an appropiate transport service.
Under normal traffic conditions, a return trip should not exceed 150 minutes (= 75 minutes for each trip).
Parents are asked to inform the Transport Office of any road works or problems with bus stops in order to find a solution for collecting the children in the best possible conditions.
The persons exercising parental authority, or their representatives, are responsible for the surveillance of their children until they get into the bus in the morning and after leaving the return bus. They must take the necessary measures in order to meet the children at the stop.
Persons exercising parental authority or their legal representatives are responsible for carrying the contacts details of the Transport Office so as to be able to contact the office if necessary.
Children must respect the instructions given by the monitors. During the journey, children must remain seated.
All passengers must fasten their safety belts during transport, until the vehicle arrives at the destination.
During transport, getting on and off the bus, children must respect the instructions given by the monitor. The bus monitor is the only person entitled to take the appropriate measures to insure the security and good functioning of the service.
Bringing dangerous objects (knives, pocket-knives, laser-pointers, etc.) onto the bus, except for those required by the applicable legislation or for medical reasons, is strictly forbidden, both for pupils and drivers and monitors. Any other cumbersome objects (balls, marbles, etc.) should stay in their bags.
Use of GSM and other electronic devices (digital tablets, games, etc.) is not allowed in the bus except in case of delay and only for informing persons exercising parental authority or their legal representatives.
Eating on the bus is not allowed.
Drinking water is permitted. However, no soft drinks or hot beverages are allowed. This is in alignment with the regulations of the bus companies.
The drivers are strictly forbidden to play any videos for the children during transport.
Pupils are strictly forbidden to open the doors or windows without the permission of the monitor.
When the bus arrives at the school in the morning, pupils must enter the school site even if they do not have classes during the first period.
It is forbidden to let the children get off the bus at a different stop than the one indicated on the enrolment form, except if there is a written request from the parent, sent to the Transport Office who would have approved this.
Nursery and primary pupils may not get off the bus unless:
– there is an authorized person to meet them at the bus stop or parents have informed the Transport Office, in writing, that the pupil is accompanied by a secondary school sibling on the same bus. In any case, the responsibility of the Parents Association ends at the moment the pupil leaves the bus.
– Should there be no authorized person to welcome or accompany the child, the monitor or the driver must keep the child in the bus and contact the Transport Office who will contact the parents.
As appropriate the monitor or the Transport Office can:
– ask the driver to return the child to the school or to the garage at the end of the journey;
– leave the child at the nearest Police station as a last resort.
In any cases the Transport Office, the APEEE and the parents are immediately informed. If the incident is repeated it could lead to exclusion of the pupil from the service.
In the afternoon, pupils leaving classes must get onto the bus immediately, but cannot leave the bus without permission from the monitor and a justified reason (for example: the need to go to the loo, provided it will not delay the bus departure, etc.)
The class level, the bus number, the bus stops name and the contact numbers for the parents or the persons authorised to collect the child, must be indicated on the first page of the child’s school agenda and on the pupil’s badge, and has to be updated in case of changes. Pupils should be instructed about their bus numbers and their destination. In addition, the bus driver and the monitor will receive a list with the names, stop names and contact details of their passengers.
8.1 Bus drivers and monitors
Monitors on buses are used where necessary and/or possible. Each monitor is instructed by the APEEE Transport Office, and prior to taking their first ever shift, a member of the Transport Office hands them a copy of the rules which he has to sign. Their attention is particularly drawn to ensuring security during transport and respecting the children.
It is not possible to check the identity of the person collecting a child at the bus stop. It is the parent’s or responsible person’s obligation to be present at the time of arrival of the bus and to remain at the indicated stop until arrival. In case of unforeseen circumstances, the Transport Office must be notified so that a solution can be arranged.
Only the Transport Office is authorised to give instructions to the bus company, the monitors or, via the company, to the drivers.
Bus drivers and monitors are not authorised to deal with problems relating to the bus routes. They are authorised to apply the rules defined, to maintain discipline and safety.
Driving is in accordance with Belgian law. The buses and the drivers must be up-to-date in accordance with Belgian rules in force (insurance, roadworthiness test, etc.).
The vehicle must be equipped with two plates indicating that it is a school bus.
8.2 Discipline
The Transport Committee defines the rules of conduct. Children are required to demonstrate good citizenship and respect the bus and its property.
The Transport Committee and/or the Transport Office can exclude any user whose behaviour is not in line with the regulations of behaviour, who harasses others or commits acts of vandalism. The decision will be communicated to the parents in writing. Exclusion from the service does not entitle the parents to reimbursement or cancellation of the debt.
The Parents Association is not responsible for damage, harm or injuries caused by pupils using the school transport. Costs incurred will be charged to the perpetrators of the damage or their parents.
Harassment is in no case tolerated. Any incident implying harassment must be immediately communicated to the Transport Committee who will take the appropriate measures.
The Transport Committee and/or the Transport Office has the right to take disciplinary action if children are responsible for incidents putting the security of other children in danger, the driver, the monitor or any other person at risk, or damaging the bus.
8.3 Abuse
A pupil using the school transport service without having a valid subscription or a ticket is subject to a fine. The parents will be informed of the fraud by registered mail or email with acknowledgement of receipt. The fines are progressive:
1st offence 15 €
2nd offence 30 €
3rd offence 100 €
The amount of the fine must be paid within a given deadline. The exclusion ceases upon payment.
It is forbidden to arrange another stop with the bus driver or monitor other than the stop appearing on the official route. Users disregarding this regulation can be excluded from the use of the service.
8.4 Complaints
In case of problems or remarks, parents shall address the Transport Office which will verify the information and take the necessary measures within a reasonable time limit. If no reply is given within reasonable time, parents can contact the APEEE Transport responsible and afterwards the Director of the APEEE.
8.5 Exclusion from the service
Not respecting either of the regulations can lead to the exclusion of the responsible user from the service. Also, exclusion can result from:
– Non-payment;
– Repetitive late payment;
– Being repeatedly late at the afternoon stop or failure to show up at the afternoon stop;
– Disregard of the discipline and safety regulations.
8.6 Lost objects
The monitors will hand in any object found in the bus to the Transport Office, where they will be stored for maximum one week. After this period, the clothes will be transferred to Eureka, which runs the school lost and found objects, and where they will be stored for maximum 3 months. (see http://www.bru4.eu/eureka).
The transport service of the APEEE is a collective service for the pupils of the European School Brussels IV.
Without prejudice to any other section of the current regulations, with the subscription to the service, parents are required to declare that they have read and understood the present regulations and fully agree to them and most particularly, to the fact that:
– The full subscription fee is due from the first day of enrolment until the end of the school year
– Withdrawals are only possible in the cases and under the conditions stated under Section 6.
– Regulations are published on the website and must be accessible during the entire enrolment exercise.
This document may be amended during the course of the school year.
Leave a Reply