With the new academic year starting next week, parents’ transport schedules will be taking on the regular frenzy of dropping-off and picking up their children at school. Parents of learners who make use of the GO GEORGE bus service to get to school, are encouraged to help their children get equipped in time.
It is important to get a GO GEORGE Smart Card and load enough trips before schools start, and not to wait until they have no trips left before topping up again. The Smart Card should be treated with the same care as any bank card or cash; if it gets lost, trips on the card cannot be refunded or transferred to a new card.
School route maps
This year, GO GEORGE communication champions may not be able to visit all schools as usual at the beginning of the school year, due to Covid-19 safety restrictions. They will, however, be present at the bus stops near schools during the first few weeks of the school term to inform learners about the different routes to school. Unique maps depicting the different options available to school and back home have been created for each school and will be discussed with the learners. These maps can also be downloaded here.
Learners are advised to discuss boarding time with the champions and the best routes to use to avoid full buses during peak time. Champions will also remind learners about important Covid-19 safety regulations. This will be done in a novel manner, with the assistance of The Sanitiser – a superhero character who will make sure that the young passengers do not forget to wear their masks correctly and to regularly sanitise their hands.
Covid-19 safety
GO GEORGE Manager, James Robb, calls upon parents to also help imprint the importance of adherence to the Covid-19 safety regulations on their children when using the bus service.
“Public transport remains a high-risk environment for the spreading of the virus. We are doing everything in our power to contribute to passengers’ safety when using our buses. But we need all our passengers, learners included, to take responsibility for their own health and safety by adhering to the basic safety measures,” he said.
“Please make sure that your child is equipped with a proper mask covering both the mouth and nose, and that they keep the masks on, even when chatting to friends on the bus. We supply sanitiser on the buses – passengers should sanitise their hands when they enter and when they leave the bus.”
For more information on the best routes to the various schools in town, phone the GO GEORGE Call Centre on 0800 044 044, send an email to info@gogeorge.org.za. or visit our website.