Good Practice
HOW TO SET UP A NIGHT BUS SCHEME
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HOW TO SET UP A NIGHT BUS SCHEME
OXFORD BROOKES STUDENT UNION - SAFETY BUS SCHEME
The 2002/03 Executive at Oxford Brookes Students' Union recognised the need for a safety bus that catered for all students and sought ways of making the scheme not only work but also financially viable.
How the Scheme Works
Find a Sponsor
Recommended are local restaurants, bars, and businesses in general, or your own University.
Find a Bus (or two)
Hiring a bus is recommended. National companies can do a fairly good deal but their buses are sign written with their logos. Shop around and find the best deal for you, which will probably be in the form of a local supplier. Expect to pay around £20 per day + VAT. The bonus of hiring a bus is you can return it if the scheme is unsuccessful. Hire companies are also responsible for the maintenance (tyres, MOT's, etc.).
Get Insurance
Unless all your drivers are over 25, the hire companies won't even think about insuring you on their insurance. Expensive, but by now you've found a sponsor. Expect to pay around £2500 per bus for the year. With their cover, you can also insure a second or even third bus on a day-to-day basis when you expect to be busy.
Drivers
This is probably most important. Usually the insurance will state that provided a driver is over 21 with 2 or more years' experience and definitely no more than 6 points, they are eligible to drive. With the drivers being volunteers, they can be difficult to keep hold of so keep them happy. By law they cannot be offered any monetary compensation for their time unless they have category D on their drivers license.
Out of the thousands of students at most universities, a couple of dozen should be willing to give up a night a week to help their out their peers. Arguments such as putting something back into their community and looking good on job applications and CVs should be persuasive. At Brookes, the drivers are offered guest lists to student nights and the sponsors pay for the drivers to have a party once a term. No drivers = no service.
NOTES FOR SAFETY BUS VOLUNTEER DRIVERS
Make sure your sponsors are getting their money's worth
Sign write your bus; name it after their company, for example. Sign writing can cost anything up to £1000 but shop around.
Get a Mobile Phone
Us a mobile on a network that has complete coverage in the area you're working in. And get an easy-to-remember number.
Use Publicity
Make those freshers remember that bus! Use posters, ads on the local radio, articles in the student media. Advertise for drivers. Make the students proud of what they will find a totally invaluable service. Give them ownership. Oxford Brookes also block email their students every week and very rarely does the safety bus not get a mention.
Get the University and Local Community on board - literally
Get the vice-chancellor on the bus one night. Let the university use it for promoting the University to prospective students. They may even give you some money!
Talk to local police and residents associations and tell them what you're doing. Again, they may be able to assist with finances.
On the Road
Make sure the buses fulfils all the requirements of a Section 19 mini bus permit. Add a few extras like vomit clearing powder, rolls of tissue, sick bags, "own risk" signage, dustpan and brush, and importantly a disposable camera and Dictaphone for recording those likely, but avoidable accidents.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Cost of the Bus
The buses are hired at a cost of £21.47 per day for three 12-week periods. At any other time, there is a £15 per week charge to keep the buses at the Student Union, with the sponsor's transfers intact on the body of the buses.
Insurance costs just under £1800 per bus for the whole year. One bus is paid for (hire and insurance costs) by a sponsor and the second bus is currently provided by the University Senior Management Team. The vinyl advertising, fuel costs and administration fees are covered by donations made by users.
Income Made
During term 1, the bus was a major success, and during freshers week 5 buses were run every night (hired from the sports centre). Since week 8 of term 1, two buses were running on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and term 2 has seen two buses running virtually every night (Monday-Saturday 9pm-3am and Saturday shopping trips from halls 2pm-4pm). The total amount donated during term 1 was a touch over £3000, which is expected to level out at around £1800 per bus, per term.
During term 2, the second bus has proven to be equally successful and has reduced students waiting times for pick-ups immensely. The scheme, whilst not designed to make a profit, has made a small surplus which is expected to level out to neither profit nor loss by the end of term 3.
Priority Use
"Perception of vulnerability creates priority for some users over others" is the phrase displayed on the bus and on advertising materials. This means that drivers do not have to carry anyone they do not wish to. Indeed some students have been refused use over others because of their attitude or behaviour. At present, women take priority over men. The vast majority of students do not have a problem with the policy currently in place. Those requesting the Safety Bus to or from places where the inter-site bus services do not run get priority over those places to which the inter-site buses do run.
Operation Times
For the remainder of the year the Safety Buses will run Monday - Saturday from 9pm-3am and on a Saturday afternoon from 2-4pm. Buses are also used by clubs and societies during the day to travel locally and the length and breadth of the country. Students can request a lift between these times, by calling the Safety Bus number.
For further information, contact:
Neil Holdstock, General Secretary, Oxford Brookes Students Union
Last update: Last update: 11/11/03