Post-16 travel assistance

If you receive one of the following, you will qualify as low income: 

• Income Support 
• Income based Job Seekers Allowance
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance 
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 
• Child Tax Credit, with no element of Working Tax Credit, and a household income below £16,190pa (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) 
• Maximum level Working Tax Credit
• Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit Page 10 of 15 
• Universal Credit (provided families have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as confirmed by earnings from up to the three most recent assessment periods)

If you qualify as low income, you will need to contribute £500 a year.

Travel assistance will be free if you qualify under the above low income criteria and your child:

• has an education, health and care (EHC) plan which necessitates travel assistance
• is attending their nearest suitable further education setting which is named in the EHC
• lives within the administrative boundary of Northamptonshire and more than 3 miles from their nearest suitable educational establishment

If your child is eligible, we will first explore whether you can provide transport and be reimbursed via a Personal Transport Budget (PTB).

Free travel assistance will be given to a young adult student (who is not in sixth form) if:

• the local authority has secured the provision of education or training and the provision of boarding accommodation for an adult learner aged under 25
• they are subject to an EHC plan
• it is considered necessary to facilitate that person’s attendance at the place of education or training

This policy doesn't apply to young adults (aged 19 to 25) who are not in school or training and don't have an education, health, and care plan. For details about transportation for other young adults, contact Adult Social Services.

We encourage young adults who are over compulsory school age but under 19, and those aged 19 to 25 with an EHC plan, to participate in education and training. However, they would be expected to cover travel expenses to and from their education or training provider, unless they meet the above criteria. 

We will guarantee a seat on one of our existing contracted transport services for those who apply on or before 31 May prior to the September of that academic year.

After this deadline, guaranteed seats won't be available. We will consider your application once we have allocated all statutory students. This process may not be completed until the October half term. In the meantime, parents will be responsible for arranging transportation and covering any costs. 

By submitting an application on time, you commit to purchasing a seat for the full academic year at a cost of £1000. Discounts will not be available if transport is only used for part of the year. For example, if it is no longer used after passing a driving test. This is because the Council will have procured your seat for the full academic year.

Refunds for transport that is no longer required will only be considered in exceptional circumstances e.g. where a family has to move suddenly to temporary accommodation because of a house fire or domestic violence. No refunds will be provided for transport already utilised. 

If you have applied for transport and it is no longer required,  please cancel it by emailing the relevant team below prior to the start of the academic year:

• Mainstream students – [email protected]
• Children and Young People with an EHCP – [email protected]

If the academic year has begun and you no longer require transport, you must tell us in writing. If we have already allocated your child a seat, we will endeavour to reassign this to another student on our waiting list. If however this is not possible, you will be responsible for paying the £1,000 contribution.

You should tell us why you are cancelling the transport and the last date of travel. If you have been issued a bus pass, you must send this with the letter. 

Read more about cancelling applications.

It is important to remember that until we receive the letter of cancellation, and where applicable, the bus pass, you will still be liable for any costs incurred.

If the school issue their own bus passes, please state this on the letter of cancellation so that we can notify the school’s administration department accordingly. 

Please consider returning the bus pass using a recorded or signed-for delivery method.

We assess your application based on the address and educational establishment you include on the form. If they change, you will need to submit a new form so we can reassess your application. We cannot guarantee being able to rearrange transport from a new address And if this is the case, you will be responsible for providing and paying for transport.

You must provide supplementary evidence of your benefit entitlement to support your application and this can be sent to the relevant team via email or submitted within your application.

If you are on low income or receive free school meals, you may be entitled to bursary funding. 

This is available from the establishment your child attends.

If you do not pay an invoice, we will contact a debt collection agency to recover any outstanding amounts.  

If your application is received by 31 May and is approved, you will receive an invoice prior to the October half term. If you've opted for the yearly payment plan, the invoice will be £1000. 

We are currently revising our processes to allow parents and carers to pay their invoices up to a period of 12 months from receipt of their travel assistance.

If invoices are not paid on time, or travel facilities or bus passes are misused, we reserve the right to withdraw the travel entitlement and recover any outstanding costs.

The "Code of Conduct" and, if relevant, the "conditions of use" are printed on the back of the bus pass. Any misuse, such as misbehaviour, that violates these rules could result in the transportation being invalidated. No refund will be given. 

Parents or Legal Guardians and students are required to read and adhere to the “Code of Conduct”.

Applications received after 31 May are deemed non-guaranteed seats.

If your child is allocated a non-guaranteed seat, we may need to withdraw the offer if we receive an application from a statutory entitled pupil. We will give you written notice up to 14 days in advance if this happens. 

You will receive a partial refund of any fees paid and you will be required to make alternative transport arrangements.

If your application is approved, you will receive an invoice. This will give you information on the methods of payment available. If you have any queries regarding payment options, please email the relevant team on:

• Mainstream transport – [email protected]
• Children and Young People with an EHCP – [email protected]  

Please provide your name, phone number and query and we will endeavour to contact you as soon as possible. 

We reserve the right to charge for interest for late payments.

There may be occasions when transport is suspended due to adverse weather or issues with operator recourses. We try our best to prevent this, but if it happens, it is your responsibility to arrange transport to and from school. We will not reimburse any costs incurred. We will make every effort to restore the transport arrangements as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions regarding entitlement or the status of your application, please email the relevant team on:

• Mainstream transport – [email protected]
• Children and Young People with an EHCP – [email protected]

If you require a replacement pass you can apply online.