Public Transport Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• 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.
• Low light and poor visibility — Prefer well-lit entrances and platforms, carry small torches for staff, increase adult spacing to cover sightlines, avoid dim subways or closed sections, and reschedule or change mode if visibility drops below a safe standard for group control.
• Boarding and alighting gaps — Board and alight only at doors aligned with the group, direct pupils to mind the step and gap, wait for passengers to clear first, pass bags in rather than dragging, and re-form just beyond the doorway before moving to seats or standing areas.
• Supervision ratios and briefing — Set ratios by age and crowd risk, position adults at front, middle and rear with one at gates, deliver a clear pre-brief on signals, rules and contingencies, and pause the journey whenever visibility or control drops below the agreed standard.
• Platform-edge proximity — Mark a firm stand-back line one body length from the edge, place adults at carriage markers and tactile paving ends, face the group toward incoming vehicles, forbid bag stacking near the edge, and step forward only on the leader’s clear call to board.