Brigstow Free Bus Travel Project: Parent/Carer Participant Information Sheet-Survey

We invite you and your child to take part in this study 

  • Before you decide whether to take part, it is important that you understand why this study is being done and what taking part will involve. 

  • Please read this leaflet carefully. Discuss it with others if you wish.  

  • It is up to you to decide if you want to take part.   

Essential study information 

  • We want to understand how the free bus travel scheme over the summer affects children and families in Hartcliffe and Barton Hill. We are inviting your child/you to complete a short survey. 
  • In this research study, we will use information from you. We will only use information that we need for the research study. We will let very few people know your name or contact details, and only if they really need it for this study. Everyone involved in this study will keep your information safe and secure.  
  • The information pack tells you more about this. 

1. Why are we doing this study? 

This summer, the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has introduced free bus travel for children under 16. We want to understand what difference this makes for children and families in Bristol, especially in Hartcliffe and Barton Hill. 

2. Why have I/my child been invited? 

We are working with local schools and community groups to hear directly from children, young people, and parents about their experiences of bus travel. 

Do I Have to Take Part? 

No. Taking part is completely voluntary. If you or your child do not want to take part, that is fine. You can also change your mind and stop at any time. 

3. What will happen if I take part? 

As part of this project, we will be asking children, young people, and parents to share their views in a short survey about their experiences of bus travel and what they know about the free bus scheme.  

4. Possible benefits and disadvantages of taking part. 

  • Benefits: Taking part gives you and your child a chance to share your experiences to help improve local transport policy.  
  • Disadvantages: The only disadvantage is giving a small amount of time. 

5. More information about taking part. 

Is the study confidential? 

Yes, all the information collected will be treated as confidential and held securely at the University of Bristol. All personal information will be kept separately from written records of the interview (transcripts). If you or your child agree to take part, you will be asked to sign a consent form, which will be stored electronically in a password-protected folder on a secure University of Bristol data server (Research Data Storage Facility). 

However, if you disclose information that indicates a risk of harm to yourself or others, confidentiality may need to be breached, and the researcher may be required to report this to the relevant authorities. If you have any concerns about this or wish to discuss any aspect of confidentiality, please contact the lead researcher, Debbie.Watson@bristol.ac.uk or for further clarification.  

How will we use information about you? 

We will need to use information from you for this research project. This information will include your  

  • name  
  • age and ethnicity 

People who do not need to know who you are will not be able to see your name or contact details. Your information will have a code number instead. University of Bristol is the sponsor of this research. 

University of Bristol is responsible for looking after your information. We will keep all information about you safe and secure by: 

  • making survey data anonymous by removing any identifying information so you cannot be identified from it.  
  • Survey data will be securely kept for 10 years on a password protected University of Bristol computer server, with Prof Debbie Watson, as data custodian.  

If data will be used for future research: If you agree to take part in this study, you will have the option to allow your data to be used in future research on the University of Bristol data repository data.bris. 

How will we use information about you after the study ends? 

Once we have finished the study, we will keep the data so we can check the results. We will write our reports in a way that no-one can work out that you took part in the study. We will keep your study data for a maximum of ten years. The study data will then be fully anonymised and securely archived or destroyed. 

What are your choices about how your information is used? 

  • You can opt to withdraw from the research until the end of October 2025, without giving a reason. Any data provided up to that point will be destroyed if requested. 
  • You can opt to withdraw after the end of October. The information about you collected until this point may still be retained, as it will have already been anonymised. 
  • you have the right to ask us to access, remove, change or delete information we hold about you for the purposes of the study. We might not always be able to do this if it means we cannot use your information to do the research. If so, we will tell you why we cannot do this. 

At the end of the study and with your permission your information will be made “Open Data”. This means that it will be stored in an online database so that it is publicly available but will be fully anonymised. 

Where can you find out more about how your information is used? 

You can find out more about how we use your information: 

  • by asking Debbie Watson 
  • by sending an email to Debbie.Watson@bristol.ac.uk 

Who is running and funding the study? 

This project is organised by the Brigstow Institute, University of Bristol, in partnership with Room 13 Hareclive and Barton Hill Activity Group. It has been reviewed and approved by the University of Bristol, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law Ethics Committee (Ref:27520). 

Who are the researchers? 

There are three researchers involved in the study who you may meet:

  • Professor Debbie Watson
    Professor Debbie Watson is leading the study.
  • Temilola Adeniyi
    She will be designing and delivering surveys, facilitating focus groups and be involved in the analysing and disseminating of study findings.
  • Yuyue Sun
    She will be designing and delivering surveys, facilitating focus groups and be involved in the analysing and disseminating of study findings.

What if there is a problem? 

In the event that something does go wrong, and you or your child are harmed during the research, then you have the right to make a complaint. For any concerns about any part of the study, please contact Prof Debbie Watson (Debbie.Watson@bristol.ac.uk). If you have a complaint, please contact research-governance@bristol.ac.uk 

Thank you for taking the time to read this information. If you would like to take part or have any questions, please contact Debbie Watson on Debbie.watson@bristol.ac.uk.