Bus  Program

The following are highlights of the Bus Transportation Policy as adopted by the Pinewood Board of Directors in February 2010:

All School bus transport vehicles shall comply with applicable regulations of the Hellenic Republic. A bus monitor shall be assigned to each School bus transporting students under 12 years of age.

As a matter of principle, when there are fewer than five students signing up for a bus route, such bus route shall be canceled. However, the Director will have the discretion to implement a bus route on an exceptional basis within the limits of the approved School budget.

The Director shall have the authority to take decisions, prepare written procedures, establish bus routes, bus schedules and bus stops, issue written instructions and grant exceptions for the implementation of and adherence to the Transportation Policy.

Routes

The School shall not offer door-to-door bus transportation service and shall make every possible effort to keep travel time to a reasonable minimum. There are two types of bus transportation services:

(i) regular bus routes (morning and afternoon): optimal travel time will not exceed one hour with arrival/departure from the School enabling on-time operation of the School schedule; and

(ii) after-school activities bus route: optimal travel time will not exceed one and a half hours with an afternoon departure, normally leaving in a timely manner following the daily after-school activities program.

The bus routes shall be published and available when the enrollment period for the following school year begins. Published bus routes shall be provided with the registration package to each new and returning student and thereafter posted on the School’s bulletin board during the first week of the school year.

Bus stops shall be established within a reasonable proximity from each other on the established bus routes. Changing the published bus routes is a complicated process and has a domino effect on the rest of the route. Change to the published bus route that results in an increase of either travel time or distance shall be permitted only if at least three children can make use of the requested change, unless the Director deems there are extenuating circumstances requiring a change based on other grounds.

Parents/guardians shall indicate on the enrollment application form whether bus transportation is required and the preferred bus stop as per the published bus route.  Confirmation for the provision of the service shall be provided together with confirmation of enrollment.

Any requests for exceptions to the published route must be sent to the Admissions Office in writing together with the enrollment application forms.  Any request for change of bus transportation service route or bus stop must be sent the Administration Office in writing as soon as possible to be accommodated, if feasible, by the School.

Transportation Fees

The annual Transportation Fee shall be published together with all other School Fees. There shall be three types of Transportation Fees:

(i) full fee: covering morning and afternoon regular bus routes and usage of the after-school activities bus;

(ii) partial fee: covering either the morning bus or the afternoon/activities bus equal to 60% of the full fee;

Transportation Fees are annual fees and can be prorated on a semester basis only. If a student attends 20 or more school days in a given semester, the payer is responsible for paying for Transportation Fee for the entire semester.

If a student wants to discontinue usage of the bus transportation service for the second semester, s/he must notify the Schools Administration Office in writing by 15 December, in order to be eligible for a refund for the second semester.

When there are two or more children from the same family using the bus transportation service at the same time, a 15% discount on the Transportation Fee shall be applied to the second and a 25% discount to each additional child’s Transportation Fee.

Payments

A first payment of the Transportation Fee of 50 Euros shall be due with the first tuition payment and shall be non-refundable.  The purpose of such advance payment is to reserve a bus seat and to enable the School to plan bus routes and capacity. The remaining amount shall be paid with the September payment.
Within the first week of the school year, each student who has paid the first payment of the Transportation Fee shall receive a bus pass from the Administration Office, which will indicate the bus route and type of bus transportation service (regular/after-school activities, regular morning or afternoon, after-school activities, etc.).  The bus transportation service shall be discontinued and the pass revoked if the remainder of the Transportation Fee is not paid with the September payment.

All questions and requests regarding the school's bus service should be directed to the AdministrativeAssistant, Ms. Youli Andrianopoulou.

Students riding the bus are required to be punctual when waiting for the bus while the high standards of student behavior and decorum that apply to the school instructional day also apply to bustransportation.

Verifiable parent permission must be provided to the school if a student will not be taking the bus home as regularly scheduled, or if a student plans to ride on a different bus (if there is available seating.)