Stagecoach Restricts School Buses to Pupils Only

The special school services run by Stagecoach to Lancaster Grammar and Ripley St. Thomas Schools are registered local bus services that have been open for use by the general public. From the start of the new school term however, they are now restricted to use by schoolchildren and/or college students  only.

Buses restricted to "Schoolchildren only" have service numbers prefixed by the letter "S"

Designating the services as "for schoolchildren only" removes the need to comply with the government guidance on Covid-19 social-distancing and ensures sufficient capacity to carry all the children needing to travel. In some cases additional journeys are being provided to further help meet the demand.

Services concerned in the Lancaster District, which only school and college students will be allowed to board are:

40A  Lancaster - Preston College

81G  Lancaster - Kirkby Lonsdale, Queen Elizabeth School

500  Overton - Ripley St. Thomas School

501  Heysham - Ripley St. Thomas School

502  Heysham - Ripley St. Thomas School

504  Heysham - Ripley St. Thomas School

935  Morecambe - Ripley St. Thomas School

940  Preston - Lancaster Royal Grammar School

941  Preston/Sharoe Green - Lancaster Girls' Grammar School

942  Broughton - Lancaster Girls' Grammar School

Also, certain journeys on other services will now be restricted to school and college students on schooldays. Other journeys on these services remain open to all passengers.

Service 6A                   1545 Lancaster to Morecambe

Service 55                   1530 Carnforth High School to Lancaster

Service 55                    0747 Carnforth to Ripley St. Thomas School

Service 55                    0748 Carnforth to Ripley St. Thomas School

Service 55                    1515 Ripley St. Thomas School to Carnforth

As well as the above on many services that are well-used by schoolchildren duplicate buses will be provided that are restricted to use by schoolchildren. These will run together with buses that are open to all passengers.  

In all cases, buses that are restricted to use by schoolchildren will show a service number prefixed by the letter "S" (see illustration above).

FARES

Stagecoach has also made changes to its range of School Passes used mainly by children travelling on services 940 - 942.  These are now available exclusively in a smartcard format and available over the internet. Fares have been revised and are now calculated on a zonal basis, aligned to the Bay Area Plus and "Lancashire" ticket zones. Passengers on other school services will probably find that Child Mega Rider or Mega Rider Plus tickets offer better value.  Full details of the tickets and how to obtain them can be seen on this link