Paid-for school transport

Update on paid-for school transport for September 2020

The waiting list for purchasing spare seats on Council-run school buses is now closed to new applicants. Further details on school transport arrangements for 2021/22 will be published in late Autumn 2020.

Seats have been offered for all students entitled to free transport for September 2020.

We have now also allocated the remaining spare seats on council-run school buses. If your child has been offered a paid for seat in the second round of offers which has now gone out, you need to pay by 20 August.

If your application has been unsuccessful, we will keep you on the waiting list and inform you if a place becomes available at a future date. However, you will need to make alternative arrangements for your child’s transport

Overview of school transport options

For pupils who don’t qualify for free school transport, we may offer any spare seats on our free school transport service as a paid-for alternative.

Please note that paid-for transport seats are limited and we cannot guarantee one for every child. We can only offer paid-for transport where there are spare seats on school buses operating for students who qualify for free statutory transport, and where a public transport route is not available – please check for public routes before you apply for paid-for travel.

If we have written to you to say we not able to offer your child a space we will keep their details on a waiting list. Only a very small number of extra spare paid-for seats become available during the course of the school year. We review the transport waiting lists on a termly basis and will only write to you if a space becomes available. Therefore you will need to make other school transport arrangements for your child.

Alternative transport options

Public bus services: You can get season tickets and child discounts from most bus and train operators or see the Citizencard information. See our local bus timetable page or plan a journey on Traveline. Taxi operators may also offer discounts for regular journeys.

Commercially run school-only buses: There are a number of private companies who operate independently of the Council and who sell tickets to parents directly. Details of commercial school bus routes can be found on our bus timetables page.

Schools: Ask your school if they have a travel plan in place – this can include walking and cycling routes. See our cycle training information.

Childcare: If you use a childminder they may be able take your child to school, or pick them up. If they’re close to school they may walk or drive your child there.

Parent and community schemes: Your school PTA may help you to see if there is interest in contracting your own transport through a local operator. ‘Walking buses’ that use parents as volunteers to pick up children, walk them to school and take them home may work for some groups of parents.

Car share: Setting up a lift scheme for parents to car-share may be an option, or consider using a car share app like Liftshare.