Post-16 travel support policy changes
From September 2025 we are changing how we support eligible young people to get to their education setting.
Post-16 students
We will review your application for travel support and if you are eligible, we will consider a range of options. These are set out below:
- Travel training
- Sustainable travel (for example bike or scooter)
- Bus pass or rail pass
- Travel grant
- Personal Travel Budgets (PTBs)
- Provision of vehicle transport (such as taxi, minibus, wheelchair)
Changes
- Introduction of a travel grant
- Updates to provision of vehicle transport
Travel grant
We may offer a travel grant (a sum of money) to contribute towards the cost for the student to make their own travel arrangements to get to and from their education setting.
The grant amount depends on the distance from the student’s home to their education setting:
| Tier | Distance | Grant amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tier one | Zero to five miles | £1,200 |
| Tier two | Five to eight miles | £1,500 |
| Tier three | Nine miles or more | £1,800 |
The travel grant will be paid to the student, or their parent or carer termly, split into three equal payments across the year.
Provision of vehicle transport
Where a taxi, minibus, or wheelchair accessible vehicle is offered as the travel support option to a young person of sixth form age (16-18 year old), they will be required to contribute towards the cost of the travel support.
The contribution per year for a young person towards vehicle transport is based on the distance from the young person’s home to their education setting, as follows:
| Tier | Distance | Grant amount | If means tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier one | Zero to five miles | £500 | £125 |
| Tier two | Five to eight miles | £1,000 | £250 |
| Tier three | Nine miles or more | £1,500 | £375 |
Where the young person or their parent or carer is in receipt of the maximum level of Working Tax Credit, Universal Credit, or maximum Pension Credit (with an earned income of no more than £7,400 per annum), the contribution will be 25% of the full contribution per year.
Where transport is provided, it will be available from October. This is to give us time to set up the transport routes after GCSE results come out in August and colleges plan their timetables. Once that is done, we can organise the transport.
Parents, carers, and young people will need to make their own arrangements in September with mileage claimable.
Post-19 adult learners
Adult learners over the age of 19 and under the age of 25 may qualify for travel support. Travel support for eligible adult learners will be provided free of charge.
This will only apply to post-19 adult learners who are receiving further education at an education setting and are in receipt of an education health and care plan (EHCP).
Post-19 adult learners will be required to provide evidence to show why travel support is necessary and why the adult learner cannot use other entitlements for their travel, such as use of a mobility vehicle, a bursary, or discretionary support from an education setting, or whether the student has support from the council’s social care service to assist with travel.
Further information
For more guidance about travel support for post-16 students and young adults read the Post-16 Travel Service Policy Statement for Young People and Young Adults.
