Low confidence in public transport for the school run
Despite Government reassurance that pupils and staff will be safe once at school, there is still parental concern over the safety, reliability and availability of public transport for the school run, especially in London and other major conurbations as workers are encouraged to return to the office.
Social distance guidelines mean only 30 people at a time are allowed on a double-decker bus*. And walking, cycling or car sharing, whilst desirable, are not always possible due to distance, safety or scheduling concerns with potential staggered start and end of school day times.
“…concerns about the safety of public transport risk creating a two-speed recovery”
UK employers are also worried. British Chambers of Commerce Director General Adam Marshall said “…concerns about the safety of public transport risk creating a “two-speed recovery” with towns and suburbs returning to normal activity and footfall before city centres”**.
Even schools using their own coaches, minibuses, or a local coach operator to help transport pupils to and from school, face challenges. With increased parental demand for this option versus public transport, the school may find their existing fleet or local supplier cannot meet this extra demand, and so are forced to review alternative options. That is where Kura can help.
Kura contact tracing for parent and pupil protection
Every day during term time, over 7,000 pupils across the UK benefit from Kura’s services and technology to ensure they get to and from school in a safer, greener, smarter way.
Our school services include:
- Contact Tracing reports enabled by Kura technology
- Kura parent app with tracking & notifications direct to parents’ phones
- Boarding, alighting and additional sanitisation processes
- Social Distancing options (if school or parent requires)
- Drivers with eDBs and vetted vehicles (where schools do not have their own)
- Software-only options for schools with existing fleets, or fully managed services with oversight from the Kura Control Centre
Kura is part of Transport2, the UK’s leading mass shared transport group, which also operates CoachHire.com, and has access to a virtual nationwide fleet of 40,000 vehicles.
Our network gives us the flexibility to match vehicles to demand, quickly increasing capacity on any route. The technology serves to provide peace of mind to parents, students and staff and quickly identifies those who may have come into contact with an individual displaying Covid-19 symptoms.
Receive free contact tracing reports
Kura is offering UK schools free coach or minibus passenger contact tracing reports this Autumn as part of the service. This will provide you with the data you need to quickly identify those in contact with a student showing symptoms during the journey to and from school and alert the relevant parents. Contact us at [email protected] for further details, but hurry, as this offer expires on 31st August 2020. Full terms and conditions of this offer are available below.
For advice on the processes your school can implement to minimise the risk of transmission plus social distancing options on typical vehicle sizes download our free guide here . The report is based on government guidance and consultations with our schools.
To learn more on how Kura innovative technology can help your school deliver parents, pupils and staff with a safer, greener, more reliable home to school and trip service, contact us at [email protected].
* Evening Standard article 3rd August 2020 – One in 10 passengers on public transport breaking face cover rule
** Bloomberg article 3rd August 2020 – London Lockdown Is Possible Under U.K.’s Virus Containment Plans
Kura contact tracing free reporting offer terms and conditions
- Kura will provide contact tracing reports in the Autumn to all qualifying schools contacting a member of the Kura team via email or telephone by 31st August 2020. The reporting will be provided free of charge as part of a paid for Kura software contract.
- A contact tracing report consists of a list of boarding and alighting events for route concerned along with passenger name/identifier.
- Due to new customer onboarding processes, route set up and driver training with each qualifying school the delivery of the contact tracing reporting will be on a mutually agreed date in October 2020.
- Kura will provide contact tracing reports for each qualifying school as and when required (within reason) from mutually agreed start date up to 31st December 2020. If any school requires intensive reporting then Kura reserve the right to submit a charge for the management time incurred.
- Kura will require comprehensive, accurate student and staff passenger data from each qualifying school to be able to deliver the contact tracing reports. If this data is not provided to timelines specified, then Kura reserves its right to refuse to provide reporting.