Whilst mobile phone policies have been in place at many schools for some time, from June 29th 2026 this became a statutory requirement. By September 1st 2026 all schools are required to enforce a ban via their respective mobile phone policy.

Although mobile phone bans are now legally required, how it is implemented is at full discretion of each school. This flexibility has the potential to create confusion and complexity for providers of school transport that use digital bus ticketing.

Our research indicates that mobile phone policies largely fall into one of three categories:

1. Hide policy

Headteachers may decide their policy is that phones are acceptable only before and after the school day, with phones being hidden and out of reach during the day. This policy would cover implementations such as:

• Pouches: Students place their phone in a lockable (typically magnetic) pouch and the device stays with them all day, but remains unusuable. The pouch is unlocked at exit from school.
• Lockers: Students place their phone in a locker at the start of day and collect at the end of day.
• Handing in: Students hand over their device to staff and collect at the end of day.
• Bags: Students keep their phone hidden in their bag all day, with no further restrictions.

ShuttleID expects that most schools will enforce some form of hide policy. This option offers the least disruption to operators that rely on mobile or digital ticketing.

Major caveats to this policy remain however which include phone confiscation and parent policy.

How ShuttleID helpsShuttleID digital tickets are designed to work on smartphones, brick phones and can be printed.

2. Brick policy

Some schools may decide that only basic "brick" phones are permitted on premises. This may mean that students won't have a smartphone for the purposes of app based bus ticketing, as parents are guided to only supply brick phones to children.

Some schools may decide to phase this policy in, year by year. Schools are likely still to implement this in conjunction with a hide policy (brick phones, but still hidden away in bags all day).

How ShuttleID helpsOur award winning "Brickets" feature allows digital tickets to be used on basic brick phones, and tickets can also be printed for students that don't have a phone at all.

3. Ban policy

We expect a minority of schools may implement a complete ban of any device on the grounds of the school. This is likely to be most disruptive to transport operators, as this would encourage students not to bring a device to school at all, impacting digital bus ticketing. With a stricter policy, we would expect strict penalties for students, to discourage phones being brought on-site.

How ShuttleID helpsPrinted tickets have been a key feature of the platform since day one and have the flexibility to be printed by either parent, school or transport operator.

Phone confiscation

Device confisaction is a real risk that applies at any policy level and needs to be considered when relying on mobile ticketing. There are real examples of phones being confiscated by schools for an entire week or more.

How can you ensure a student is still able to board your bus in the event their phone has been confiscated by the school for a week? Plan what this looks like and prepare how to handle this event ahead of September.

How ShuttleID helpsShuttleID users are always advised to print a ticket as a backup, which not only covers the situation of phone confiscation, but additionally when a phone battery dies or a phone is lost or stolen. ShuttleID tickets can be printed by parents, schools or transport operators. Drivers also have the ability to manually log a passenger in the event a pass cannot be presented.

Parent policy

A lot of focus has been on school mobile phone policy but individual parent policy should not be overlooked. There is a growing trend of parents that are delaying giving their children a smartphone until year 9. One parent pact has been signed by parents covering over half of all UK schools.

Transport operators should aim to be supportive of parental preferences, which will naturally position them well to support any mobile phone policy implemented by a school.

How ShuttleID helpsShuttleID is supportive of parents that want their children to be smartphone-free. Our inclusive platform supports digital tickets on smartphones, brick phones and printed tickets, so that no child is left behind.

Communication is key

Transport providers exclusively reliant on app based ticketing will need to adapt come September 2026. Mobile phone policies implemented by schools and parents won't guarantee every child can reliably produce a smartphone to board their bus.

Temporary restrictions (confiscation) complicate the picture further. With a notice period of only minutes or hours, how long would it take your operation to support a student that has had digital bus pass taken away?

Speak to your schools as soon as possible to establish what their mobile phone policies will look like in September. A small conversation now helps avoid potential safeguarding issues in the new academic year due to poor communication.

More information about school bus ticketing compatible with mobile phone bans can be requested by contacting ShuttleID at info@shuttleid.uk or calling 0333 344 9868.

About the author

Chris Bell is a director at ShuttleID; the affordable, digital bus pass and ticketing system that keeps you in control.

During a 20 year career in technology, Chris worked on many systems for coach companies and saw the issues of managing home-to-school first hand, leading to the launch of ShuttleID in 2019.

Email: info@shuttleid.uk | Phone: 0333 344 9868