Public Transport Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Inadequate route planning — Plan primary and backup routes with interchange times and platform numbers, print maps and contact trees, pre-assign staff to front/middle/rear, set clear rendezvous points, and brief pupils on the timetable so progress continues smoothly if timings drift or signage is unclear.
• Power doors and entrapment — Teach pupils to clear thresholds quickly, keep straps and clothing away from seals, never force closing doors, move well into carriages once aboard, and assign an adult to the last door to halt boarding if any entrapment or obstruction risk appears.
• Weather exposure at stops — Check forecasts, provide layers, waterproofs and hats, queue under cover where possible, shorten waits on exposed platforms, and move to indoor concourses during high winds, electrical storms or intense heat until conditions improve.
• Behaviour and public interaction — Set clear conduct rules before travel, seat or stand pupils away from doors, keep voices low and music off, intervene early if behaviour drifts, and model courtesy to staff and passengers to prevent conflict and protect the school’s reputation.
• Forecourt and bus-lane traffic — Assemble well back from kerb edges, cross only at marked points on the leader’s signal, keep pupils out of cycle lanes and taxi ranks, approach buses only once fully stopped, and avoid standing in vehicle blind spots at termini and depots.