Joint morning bus service to Roedean School and St John’s College

Following the research we conducted earlier this term, St John’s College and Roedean have decided to offer a joint bus service from five different areas around Johannesburg in an effort to assist parents with timely and expensive commuting to school. Regrettably, the provision of a bus service in the afternoons is too complex and costly to be feasible. This page serves to give details of the routes, costs and procedures of the new service.

The five routes, to be introduced with effect from the first day of next term (2nd September 2008) are as follows:

» NORTH	Gallo Manor, Rivonia, Morningside, Sandown, Inanda, Atholl
	Download timetable   [ 80 KB ]      |       Download map   [ 1.3 MB ]
» EAST	Bedfordview, Eastgate, Bruma, Cyrildene, Observatory
	Download timetable   [ 72 KB ]      |       Download map   [ 700 KB ]
» SOUTH	Meyersdal, Glenvista, Bassonia, Oakdene, Linmeyer, The Hill
	Download timetable   [ 70 KB ]      |       Download map   [ 616 KB ]
» PARKS	Craighall Park, Parktown North, Parkhurst, Greenside, Parkview, Parkwood, Saxonwold, Forest Town
	Download timetable   [ 88 KB ]      |       Download map   [ 1.0 MB ]
» WAVERLEY	St John’s to St Mary’s, Oaklands, Waverley, Lower Houghton (Parents may use this service to transport their daughters to St Mary’s)
	Download timetable   [ 80 KB ]      |       Download map   [ 625 KB ]

All five routes and the stops are described in more detail on the downloadable PDFs, as well as maps of the intended routes. Parents who do not live in the immediate area of a route are encouraged to investigate whether there is possibly a stop reasonably nearby that they could make use of. (For example, parents in Edenvale may find it relatively easy to get their children to Bedfordview, or those in Randburg to get to Craighall Park.)

The times on the attached schedules are only estimates, and should not be relied on as being exact. Depending on traffic congestion, buses may run either ahead of, or behind, the estimated schedule. Parents should ensure that they are at the relevant stop in good time. All stops have been selected to ensure that there is a suitable place for parents to park and wait in their cars until such time as the bus arrives.

Wherever possible, buses will terminate at Roedean, St John’s Pre-preparatory School and St John’s Tuckshop. In some instances, depending on time and traffic, Roedean pupils may have to be dropped at St John’s Pre-preparatory School and they will need to walk over the bridge to Roedean.

The buses to be used will be the three St John’s buses (driven by experienced drivers, all of whom have worked for St John’s for over three years and have impeccable safety records) and two hired-in buses from reputable companies whose safety and reliability has been well-checked before their services have been engaged.

The cost of the service is R1,300 per term for each of the routes, with the exception of the St Mary’s route, which will cost R650 per term. (We reserve the right to change the cost of the service on a termly basis, depending on escalations in the diesel price.) We also reserve the right to change or terminate any of these services should there be insufficient take-up of the service to make it feasible to run. (These services are being run on a break-even basis, and neither school is making a surplus from the services.)

Should you wish to make use of the service, please dowload and complete the application form and return it to Megan Carter (contact details on the form). A separate form must be completed for each child that will use the bus service. Please ensure that you indicate which route AND the stop-number on that route you wish to use. (The stop-number is important for the drivers, as certain stops may be discontinued if there are no pupils needing collection.) Once your form has been returned, a bus ticket will be issued to your child and this must be shown to the driver when boarding the bus each morning. The relevant cost will be debited to your school fee account. One half-term’s notice must be given to Megan Carter in the event of a pupil discontinuing use of the service.

Finally, the five routes will be operated as described in the accompanying documentation. Should you have suggestions about route changes, additional stops or anything else that may help us in improving the services, please send them to dry@stjohnscollege.co.za. We will evaluate the services towards the end of the third term and incorporate any suggestions and ideas that we believe will benefit parents in the first term of 2009.