Spend to Save School Minibus Scheme
Minibus scheme enabling schools to provide Home to School Transport solutions for students
- Overview of the scheme
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Spend to Save is a school minibus scheme offering new leased minibuses supplied by Hampshire Transport Management and funded by Hampshire County Council.
Schools operate Home to School Transport for eligible students identified by Hampshire County Council. In return schools receive a fully funded and maintained minibus to use for other activities such as offsite curriculum visits, sporting events and other excursions.
- Eligibility
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The scheme can be offered, providing there is a financial case, to Hampshire County Council schools, academies and post-16 providers with courses for SEN students where sufficient numbers of Hampshire students are eligible for Home to School Transport.
- What is provided
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Hampshire County Council pays the lease for the vehicle which includes:
- Vehicle
- Planned vehicle maintenance
- Breakdown cover
- MOT
- Tax
- Servicing
- Vehicle safety checks and an annual passenger lift inspection for accessible vehicles
Insurance is also included for Hampshire County Council schools (academies and post-16 providers with courses for SEN students need to provide their own).
The County Council will also provide funding to schools towards the cost of:
- Driver hours
- Passenger Assistant hours (if required)
- Fuel (for the Home to School Transport element)
- One off funding for driver licensing (D1) and MiDAS training
- Contract management (to contribute towards the cost of staff time to manage and operate the service)
- Benefits of the scheme
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- A fully funded and maintained vehicle
- Vehicle livery offering schools/colleges a presence in the community
- Regular contact with parents
- Funding to operate Home to School Transport
- Savings for the County Council’s Home to School Transport budget
- School's responsibilities
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- To provide Home to School Transport every day for the students identified by Hampshire County Council
- Driver recruitment (this includes a back-up in instances of sick and annual leave)
- Ensure all drivers have the correct licence (D1)
- Ensure all drivers are MiDAS trained
- Obtain DBS checks for any driver(s)
- Obtain a S19 permit per vehicle
- School testimonials
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We have a minibus on site to use as when we need. This means we can attend more sporting events and transport the children to other events that might otherwise have proved to be too expensive... Having our own minibus has benefited the school.
Has provided an additional minibus to the Fleet and allowed the late bus scheme to be operated by the school with cost savings.
We contacted Spend to Save in June and had the minibus/route in place for the start of September, really efficient service!
- Operating a minibus
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To assist with scheme compliance visit the Hampshire Transport Management website for relevant resources including the Driver’s Daily Vehicle Check and Defect Report form, an Operator Journey Log – Template, as well as information on MiDAS training and Section 19 permits.
Information on Workplace Transport Planning and Risk Assessments guidance can be accessed via Schools Portal: School’s health and safety website (select ‘Services’ to access the catalogue of services including health and safety resource).
- Contact details
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For more information, please contact Passenger Transport on:
[email protected] / 01962 846785