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FIS SCHOOL BUS SYSTEM

From the day we have opened our doors, the Franconian International School has provided quality bus service for the children in our community. All children making use of our bus service are picked up at their doorsteps, thus avoiding long and unaccompanied walks. Parents know when to expect their children  to be picked up and brought home and can be assured that the FIS will do everything possible to ensure a safe trip to and from school.

Financing

The FIS bus service is optional. At present, it serves about 40% of the FIS community. It is the school´s objective to make the bus service a break-even enterprise.

The FIS bus service does not serve every town or city where FIS families have chosen to live. The 9 lines currently run by our bus company serve the areas with a high density of FIS families, i.e. Herzogenaurach, Fürth,  Nürnberg, Erlangen and their surroundings.

It is our desire to keep travel time for students as low as possible.

Scheduling

In close co-operation with our bus company, we plan the actual bus lines before the beginning of a new school year, based on the number of bus applications we have received. Application for the bus service for the beginning of the school year must be received by no later than August 15^th.  Due to the fact that a steady flow in the student population occurs at international schools, the lines are liable to change and are by no means fixed until the end of a school year. As a consequence, the time students spend on the bus may vary during the course of a year. Students enrolled mid year can receive bus transportation on a space available basis. In order to allow time for scheduling changes, new additions to our bus lines will only be permitted at the start of each month, and applications should be received at least two weeks prior.  Applications received after this deadline may result in the bus service only becoming available at the start of the following month.  The FIS may not be able to provide bus service to new students enrolled in mid year if they live a considerable distance away from already established lines.  Bus service is only offered on a full service basis to and from school, meaning that all riders pay to use the service each day. We do not offer the service on a part time basis.

Rules and Regulations

1.  Bus stops and departure times

After having established the bus lines in late August, the school will inform each family of the time their child (ren)  will be picked up from home in the morning and dropped off in the afternoon.

In the morning students are picked up at their doorstep.

In order to keep the buses running on schedule, families are urged to make sure that their children are ready to leave home five minutes before his or her bus is scheduled to arrive. Bus drivers are not expected to leave their vehicle and ring at a family´s  door to pick up student travelers.

The buses leave the FIS right after school and  will generally run their routes in reverse order. Children taking part in the after-school activities program will not be able to make use of the bus service on these afternoons and will have to be picked up by a parent or a person duly authorized by the parents.

In order to make the journey back home after school as quick as possible, parents who are at home are asked to meet their children or make sure that the drivers can see that they are let into their respective houses.   Parents take responsibility for their children, regardless of their age, until they have boarded and after they have disembarked the FIS school bus.

Cancellation of bus service

a)     from the parents´side

If a student does not want to make use of the bus service on a certain day, his or her parents must inform the school in writing one day ahead of time. The parents must inform the FIS office how the child will then get home from school and name someone who will be responsible for the child. The school should be informed in writing, if possible.

If parents only find out in the morning that a student will not be going on the bus, it is the parents´ responsibility to inform both the bus driver and the FIS of the cancellation.

In the afternoon, children who have no authorization from their parents to leave with someone else, will not get the school´s permission to do so, and will have to ride their bus home as usual.

Bus trips that parents have cancelled cannot be reimbursed.

b)    from the school´s side

In case of extremely bad weather or other unforseeable emergencies, the school may be closed on short notice. Should this situation arise, the FIS emergency telephone tree will come into effect and all families will be notified. The school will get in touch with the bus company and cancel transportation, if the closure takes place early in the morning.

In the very unlikely case that the school administration should decide to close the school after some students have already been picked up by the bus drivers, the children will be taken care of by the adminstration/teachers upon arrival at the FIS until arrangements for their safe return home have been made.

In the case of bad weather, the school may be closed midway through the day. In this case, the FIS emergency telephone tree will come into effect and all families will be notified when the children will be dismissed.

3.  School Bus Safety Rules

Your child´s safety is our foremost concern. For that reason, rules concerning safety on the bus have been established that must be respected. Please make sure that you and your child carefully read and stick to the following rules!

 When using school buses students will: 

·        Fasten seat belts.

·        Respect all the rules that apply to school behaviour.

·        Comply with the bus driver´s instructions.

·        Help keep the inside of the bus clean.

·        Keep all belongings in their backpack and respect the property of others.

·        Be respectful of the driver and other passengers at all times.

·        Be courteous and talk quietly, without disturbing others on the bus.

·        Not eat or drink or chew gum on the bus.

·        Remain in their seats until the bus stops.

·        Board and disembark the bus in an orderly and safe manner.

·        Behave in a manner consistent with personal and peer safety.

The School Director deals with bus disciplinary infractions. Serious or repeat offenders could lose their bus privileges.

4.  Bus passenger liability

Parents are responsible for any damage to the bus that their children may cause. A bill for the amount of the damage and other incidental expenses will be sent to the parents for settlement, if necessary.

5.  What you might want to know about

FIS bus drivers

The school has laid down a few rules and guidelines for our bus drivers. Apart from those rules as stated below, it is important to know that German law requires bus drivers to be certified. Please be aware of the fact, however, that bus drivers are not directly employed by FIS, but are employees of the bus company under contract by FIS.

 FIS expects our drivers to

      ·        know the route and drive safely

·        enforce discipline in a non-threatening way

·        Not to smoke, drink and eat on the bus or before the children get on

·        report misconduct

·        be equipped with a mobile phone so that their employer/FIS/parents can get in touch if need be.

 6.      The FIS bus zones and corresponding fees

The FIS has grouped different cities and residences of FIS families into 7 zones. The zones were set up according to the distance between the FIS and the respective residential areas “as the crow flies”.  The annual transportation fees for each zone are shown on the next page, as are the zone assignments for the cities and towns which are served by our transport program.

If you live in a village which is not shown on our list and would like bus transportation, please contact the Business Manager.

The FIS transportation fees will be billed with the school tuition prior to the beginning of the school year. The transportation fees may be paid as outlined in the FIS Fee Schedule.

FIS Bus Zones and Corresponding Annual Fees

Villages in the FIS area and their corresponding bus zones are found on this link.

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