Dear Parents/Carers,
I am writing to provide some clarification regarding the current arrangements for students who travel to and from Notre Dame High School on the 786 bus service.
I fully appreciate that the current situation is frustrating and, for some families, is creating an unexpected additional financial cost.
The 786 is a service commissioned by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive/South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and operated by Linburgs, a private bus operator. Unfortunately, the school has no involvement in the bidding or commissioning process for these services and therefore has no control over the fares or ticketing arrangements that the operator applies.
We understand that, unlike services operated by companies such as First and Stagecoach, Linburgs does not accept the South Yorkshire 7-day bus pass on the 786. The company is currently accepting cash fares, but does not carry change, which understandably makes the situation particularly difficult for families.
I want to reassure you that we are not simply accepting this situation. I will be contacting Linburgs directly to ask whether there is any practical workaround or alternative ticketing arrangement that could be introduced, and I will also be raising the issue with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, which is responsible for the commissioning of the service.
If you wish to raise your concerns directly, I would encourage you to do so. In particular, it would be helpful for the Authority to understand the financial impact that these arrangements are having on families who have chosen Notre Dame High School for their children.
You can contact the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority at:
Email: enquiries@southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk
Telephone: 0114 220 3400
You can also contact Mayor Oliver Coppard’s office directly at:
Email: Mayor@southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk
The Mayor and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority have also set out plans to expand free travel for young people across the region. The current published ambition is for free travel for all under-18s to be rolled out across South Yorkshire by summer 2027. This gives us hope that issues such as the current one may ultimately be addressed through a more integrated regional transport system.
In the meantime, I appreciate that this is not an ideal situation and I am sorry that families are having to meet additional costs as a result of the current arrangements. This is particularly disappointing when families have already purchased travel passes in good faith and reasonably expect them to provide access to school services.
I will continue to pursue this with Linburgs and the relevant transport authorities and will share any further information with you as soon as I receive it.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and please be assured that we will continue to raise this issue on behalf of our students and families.
Kind regards,
Mr Scriven
Assistant Head
Notre Dame High School