Bus Service Facts and FAQs

Facts about bus service at UWCSEA

Service partner	YEAP Transport is our service partner for managing the bus service.
Operations supervision	UWCSEA employs a full time transport manager on each campus to look after the overall operation. Operations is further overseen by UWCSEA’s Operations Manager and Director of Operations and Facilities.
Number of buses	Dover Campus: Morning buses - 83 Infant buses (2pm) - 27 Infant activity buses (3pm) - new in 2018/2019 Afternoon buses (3pm) - 72 Activity buses (4.40pm) - 38 Shuttle buses (6.15pm) - 2 East Campus: Morning buses - 88 Infant buses (2pm) - 32 Infant activity buses (3pm) - new in 2018/2019 Afternoon buses (3pm) - 75 Activity buses (4.40pm) - 41 Shuttle buses (6.15pm) - 2
Number of bus service staff	Dover Campus : 250 East : 256
Number of students using the school bus service (approximate)	Dover: 1662 East: 1666 Nearly 60% of our students use the bus service to commute.
Safety measures in buses	Safety is our first priority and to support this, each bus is equipped with: 1) seatbelts 2) fire extinguisher 3) first-aid kit 4) GPS 5) on-board camera 6) children crossing triangle 7) each bus goes through a detailed LTA inspection on a quarterly basis
Safety measure enforcement	Daily detailed safety and standard surprise checks are carried out on random buses by the transport manager as well as the operations manager.
Bus departure timings	Departure times from campus: Infant buses (K1-G1): 2.10pm Infant activity buses (K1-G1): 3.00pm Regular buses (G2-12): 3.15pm Activity buses (G2-12): 4.40pm Shuttle buses: 6.15pm
Staff training	Regular bus crew training sessions are conducted during school breaks on topics including: 1) child and data protection 2) basic first aid, health and safety procedures 3) communication cycles 4) incident sharing 5) responding to an emergency 6) student behaviour management
Feedback	We welcome your comments and are committed to ongoing  improvement. You can reach us at : Dover Campus (KT): busesuwcdover@uwcsea.edu.sg East Campus (Eric): busesuwceast@uwcsea.edu.sg UWCSEA Operations Manager: aman.chauhan@uwcsea.edu.sg UWCSEA Director of Operations and Facilities: simon.thomas@uwcsea.edu.sg

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about bus service at UWCSEA

Q1: Why does the bus service not cover all of Singapore?

Bus routes are planned on a supply and demand basis. It is not practical for any bus service to be able to cover the whole of Singapore.

Q2: How soon can my child be on the bus after my registration is sent in?

Acceptance of an application depends on a variety of factors such as coverage and eligibility of the child to be on school buses. If all terms are met, then we expect (but do not commit) that an average of two working weeks will be needed for the child to be allocated a seat on the bus. The time is needed for us to make changes to our routes and to inform families affected by such changes. In certain situations, we may even need to add an additional bus to accommodate new applicants. However, in cases where there is spare capacity on our buses, your child will be accepted immediately. Late submission of the request form may result in students not being able to use the bus on the desired start date.

Q3: How and when will I know the bus information like pick-up time and pick-up location?

A: When the information is available, you will be notified by email/SMS to log-in to our website to check your family information and bus details. For the start of each academic year, routing and estimated timings for buses are only finalised about one (1) week before the first day of school. This allows us to provide service for families who have just arrived in Singapore. However, bus information is still subject to change up to the first day of school and families will be duly notified about any necessary changes. We encourage parents to log-in two days before the school start to check any bus changes.

Q4: Are the buses safe for my child to travel on?

A: Our contracted bus service provider is required to provide regular inspections of seatbelts, first-aid kits and fire extinguishers, and also inspect for cleanliness. Mechanical checks of buses are mandatory in Singapore and must be carried out every year at an authorised inspection center, which will certify that a bus is safe for travel on the road

Q5: Is my child covered under any insurance while travelling on the bus service?

A: Yes. Singapore Transport Law requires that each bus maintain Third Party Vehicle Insurance coverage. This insurance is unlimited and no bus is permitted to carry passengers on the roads without having purchased this coverage. In addition, the current contracted bus service provider has purchased a Public Liability Policy that covers accident claims on our buses.

Q6: How much notice is needed if I want my child to be collected or dropped off from a new address?

A: The Transport Office requires a minimum of two weeks’ notice, in writing, in order for us to make any change to the existing bus service. Families wishing to cancel their use of the morning or afternoon bus service or the use of the service completely should inform the Transport Office, giving two weeks written notice.

Q7: Who will take care of my child while they are on the bus?  

A: During travel to and from school, there will be a female bus attendant on board each bus to supervise the children. Their primary duty is to maintain discipline on the bus and to ensure that the children do not compromise the safety of the bus during travel. However, our bus attendants are only allowed to verbally advise or admonish misbehaving children. Therefore, we require parents to counsel and advise their children the proper norms of behaviour on board school buses so that each rider may have a pleasant ride.

Q8: Where should a student wait for their bus on rainy days?

A: During rainy weather, the drivers have been instructed, where possible, to change the pickup and drop-off point to the nearest sheltered area, provided it is safe to do so. Please ask the Transport Office where this point would be.

Q9: Why is the bus taking a longer journey time than if I travel by car?

A: Buses are constrained to travel at a speed of not more than 60km/h and must stay in the leftmost lane. In certain roads, the speed limit could even be lower. Buses are also less maneuverable and should not (for safety reasons) swerve in-and-out of traffic and change lanes at will like a car. Moreover, the time taken for embarkation and disembarkation of the children at the various locations will add to the overall journey time of the bus. Hence, there is no equitable comparison with cars or taxis which provide doorstep and point-to-point bus service.

Q10: What determines the size of the bus used for each route?

A: Bus size is dependent on the number of students needing transport along any route and the overall journey time. It is not possible to have a fleet of only small or only large buses to serve the school. In order to accommodate new families and those who change their place of residence, from time to time we may need to change the type of bus allocated to a particular route.

Q11: Where is the pick-up and drop-off point at my condominium?

A: As a general rule, for private condominiums, all pickup and drop-off points are at the guard house or gate barrier. Our buses are not always able to provide a door-to-door service within a condominium because it would increase the travel time and also due to the size of the bus, it may not be possible to enter the condominium itself.

Q12: Where is the pick-up and drop-off point for my house?

A: For private houses, as a general rule, all buses pick-up and drop-off at the gate of the house. However, certain private housing estates have narrow roads or a dead end that prevents our buses from making a U-turn. In such cases, students will be picked up and dropped off at the closest point to the house that is practical and safe for both the student and the bus. The bus company will advise the family of the pick-up/drop-off point.

Q13: Will the bus wait for us if we are late?

A: Buses will only wait for about a minute in the mornings before driving off. This is to avoid unnecessary delays for other passengers and for the bus to arrive at school on time. For the ride home, Infant School (K1-G1) children must be received by an adult. Otherwise, they will be sent back to school to wait for the parent to pick them up. This is to ensure that proper supervision is available for the younger children.

Q14: Why is it that my child is not the last to be picked up even though we live nearest to school?

A: It is not practical to have pickup and drop-off positions solely dependent on the distance of the place of residence to the school. Traffic considerations and road layout have to be considered first. In order to balance the varied interests of families served by each bus, we do not implement any queuing system or fix the order that students are picked up on the basis of distance from the school, but rather we aim to minimise overall transport time.

Q15: Why can’t my children have exactly the same bus pickup and drop-off times and always be served by the same bus? Why do you change it from time to time? Why could it change at the start of every term?

A: Bus sizes and pick-up/drop-off timings are dependent on the composition of families that are served by the bus in each area. This will change as new families apply for bus service or when families change their place of residence. As a result, bus sizes and timings change accordingly.

Q16: Why is my child picked up first and dropped off last?

A: At present there is no first-in-first-out, last-in-last-out policy, however we do implement it on the routes where this is possible. This is because the route set for each bus to reach school may not be the same as the route specified to bring students home. This may be due to traffic considerations, road layout and other factors.

Q17: Is my child allowed to take a different bus for a ‘sleep-over’ or ‘play date’ at a friend’s place?

A: Riders are only allowed to travel to and from school on their assigned bus. If any change is necessary both the requesting and receiving parent/guardian must write in to the transport office by 12 noon on the day of change. This arrangement, however, is not available to Infant School (K1-G1) riders.

Q18: Why are buses sometimes late?

A: Buses are sometimes late for a variety of reasons such as road works, traffic congestion, rainy weather and parents or guardians not being at the designated pick-up/drop-off points. Families concerned about delays should contact the school or the Transport Office at their campus. Our Transport Office can communicate with all drivers, who are instructed to inform the school of any serious delay.

Q19: Why are some buses not fitted with seatbelts?

A: Currently in Singapore, the law requires only small buses with capacity below 15 to be fitted with seatbelts.

Q20: Are there assigned seats?

A: At present, we do not assign seats. Seats are taken up on a first-come, first-served basis. However, younger children will be given priority to sit at the front of the bus so that they may be more effectively monitored by the bus crew. Please help to educate your child to sit at the back if they are the first to board the bus or if they are alighting last. This will then help to expedite boarding and disembarking for the rest. Also, school bags should be placed below the seats and not on the seats.

Q21: Isn’t it the school’s responsibility to ensure that my child arrives at school/home on time?

A: We provide a service to UWCSEA families through our appointed transport provider. Our contracted bus service provider makes every effort to ensure that all students are collected and/or dropped off at approximately the same time each day. However, there will inevitably be times when circumstances beyond their control mean that there are delays to the bus service, or very rarely, that a bus route is interrupted. Please note that the school cannot be held responsible for these eventualities.

Q22: What do I do if I am not happy with the bus service?

A: In the first instance, please speak to our contracted bus service provider’s staff on the campus that your child attends. If you are not satisfied with the response provided then please contact the UWCSEA Transport Manager, and he will assist where possible.

For more information, please see the UWCSEA Bus Service handbook.