Ready for Back to School

25 Aug 2020

 

If you are a parent you know that school has been out – out out. With schools closing before Easter, most children, if their parents are not key workers will have been at home for 25 weeks before returning in September!

 

In normal times every summer is the same here. We wave off our school bus drivers for their much needed break in July and park up their buses. Our workshop team begin to undertake maintenance checks, MOT’s and any scheduled improvements for the school fleet. Operations get planning for any new routes or changes - we operate over 30 school, college and late buses from our yard every morning and afternoon and the logistics are not for the faint hearted! Then come the end of August, the whole team collectively gathers our breath and gets ready to plunge into a new school year.

 

This year has been a strange one for us. We have had a yard full of buses and even the occasional long-furloughed school bus driver speaking of missing the children! The workshop team have had the unusual luxury of plenty of time and the logistics are done early….strange times indeed but definitely not without its challenges.

 

Like most businesses we have had to furlough some key staff but keep our standards higher than ever. Make savings but implement more procedures and prepare for the future, uncertain of what that would be.

 

With the government’s decision to get children back into school safely for the new academic year, we here at Dew’s are gearing up to do our part. We have taken advice from the government, individual schools, parents and fellow bus and coach operators to ready a system that ensures the most Covid-19 secure method of travel for the children who rely on our services. It’s going to be a tough time for the children and for parents worrying what this new phase will hold, we hope that we will ease concern as we continue to be trusted to ‘Do It Well’ for our local community.