Home to School Travel Policy Statement for Post-16 Learners

We are consulting on proposed updates to our draft Home to School Travel Policy Statement for Post-16 Learners.

The statement explains the travel assistance that may be available for young people aged 16 to 18 in further education, continuing learners aged 19, and young people aged up to 25 with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

There is no automatic entitlement to free home to school or college travel assistance after compulsory school age. The draft statement explains who may be eligible, how decisions are made, the support options that may be considered, and the contribution families may be asked to make towards post-16 travel assistance.

We would also like to understand what impact a possible increase in the post-16 financial contribution could have on learners and their families.

Key points for Post-16 learners

We want your feedback before the statement is approved. No final decisions have been made.
The draft statement does not propose to change who may be considered for post-16 travel assistance.
Applications will continue to be assessed individually.
Different travel support options may be appropriate for different learners.
Specialist transport will continue to be available where it is required to meet assessed needs.
We are seeking views on the impact a possible increase in the post-16 financial contributions could have on learners and their families.

The draft policy statement

The draft policy statement covers

who may be eligible for post-16 travel assistance
how applications are assessed and decisions are made
the travel support options that may be available
Independent Travel Training and support to build travel skills
Personal Travel Budgets and when they may be considered
bursaries and other financial support that may help with travel costs
post-16 contributions towards travel assistance
the responsibilities of learners, families and the council
how to ask for a review, appeal a decision or make a complaint
new guidance on considering a young person's individual circumstances and the role of parents and carers in supporting their child's journey to and from school, sixth form or college to reflect the updated Department for Education (DfE) guidance.

What stays the same

The draft statement does not propose to change who may be considered for post-16 travel assistance.
Applications will continue to be assessed individually, based on the learner’s needs, circumstances and the course or setting they attend.
Specialist transport will remain available where it is needed to meet assessed needs.
Independent travel options will only be considered where they are suitable and appropriate for the learner.

What is proposed to change

The main proposed changes are:

to reflect updated DfE guidance, including greater clarity about the role of parents and carers in supporting their child's journey to and from school, sixth form or college
a greater focus on helping young people build confidence, independence and travel skills where this is safe and suitable
the development of Independent Travel Training to help young people build travel skills
clearer information about eligibility, travel support options, responsibilities, contributions and appeals
clearer information about how applications are assessed and decisions are made
increasing the use of Personal Travel Budgets (PTBs) (a payment from the council that allows families or young people to make their own suitable travel arrangements instead of using council-arranged transport), where appropriate, and to offer them as the preferred option for eligible post-16 learners
we would also like to understand what impact a possible increase in the post-16 financial contribution could have on learners and their families.

Post-16 transport contributions

We want to understand how a possible future increase in Post-16 transport contributions might affect young people and their families.

Different rules apply once a young person reaches the end of compulsory school age. Transport support for learners aged 16 and over is not an automatic entitlement and councils can decide what support is available and whether contributions are required.

Eligible sixth form age learners will normally be expected to contribute towards the cost of transport, unless the family meets the council’s low-income criteria or the learner is a Child in Care or a Care Leaver.

The current contribution for eligible Post-16 learners is £525 per year. This amount has not changed since the 2022/23 academic year.

To help ensure the continued sustainability of the transport service, the council is exploring whether the Post-16 contribution should increase to catch up with inflation. We would like to understand how this increase might affect learners and their families.

The current median cost of providing Post-16 transport is £7,838 per learner per year. This means, on average, families currently contribute around 7% of this cost, with BCP Council funding the remaining 93%. The median cost has been calculated using annual transport costs for 378 young people as of 21 July 2026 and is used to provide an illustration of how costs are shared between families and the council.

Since 2022/23, the cost of providing transport has increased significantly due to inflation, fuel costs, staffing costs and increasing demand for transport services.

As part of this consultation, we are seeking views on the potential impact that an increase in Post-16 transport contributions could have on learners and their families, including affordability, access to education and impacts on learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

No decision has been made to increase the contribution. At this stage, we would like to understand the impact of an increase in the Post-16 Contribution might have upon learners and their families. Any future changes would only be considered after reviewing consultation feedback, carrying out an Equality Impact Assessment, and following the council's decision-making process.

Your views on the impact of a possible future increase in Post-16 transport contributions

Transport costs have increased significantly in recent years, while the Post-16 transport contribution has remained unchanged since 2022/23. We would like to understand what impact a gradual increase in the contribution over four years would have on learners and their families.

To support this consultation, we have included the example below to illustrate how learner contributions might increase over the next four academic years.

The learner contribution has remained at £525 per year since 2022/23 and has not had any inflationary increase.
If contributions had increased broadly in line with inflation over this period, they would be around £725 per year by 2029/30.
There will be no change to post-16 learner contributions in 2026/27.
The example shows how learner contributions could be increased gradually over the next four years to align with inflation, resulting in a contribution of £589 in 2027/28.
It shows spreading the increase in costs over three years to reduce the impact on learners and their families.
The example includes a fixed annual increase of £43, together with an annual inflationary increase based on an average rate of 4%, as shown in the table below. This shows the learner contribution could be £589 in 2027/28, £656 in 2028/29 and £725 in 2029/30.
We are seeking views on the potential impact on learners and their families before any decision is made.
The figures below use a typical annual transport cost of £7,838 per learner. Actual costs may be higher or lower depending on individual circumstances. The table shows how costs could be shared between families and BCP Council under this example. Current low-income exemptions would remain in place unless any future changes are approved.

Academic Year	Learner contribution	Median Council Contribution
2026/27	£525.00	£7,313
2027/28	£589.00	£7,249
2028/29	£656.00	£7,182
2029/30	£725.00	£7,113

What this could mean for learners and families

For many families, there may be little or no change to current travel arrangements.

Where a learner is eligible for post-16 travel assistance, the type of support offered may be reviewed and could change depending on their needs, circumstances and what is safe and appropriate.

The draft statement provides clearer information about eligibility, decision-making, travel support options, Personal Travel Budgets, Independent Travel Training and post-16 contribution arrangements.

Under the proposed approach, eligible learners may be offered a Personal Travel Budget where this is suitable and appropriate for their needs and circumstances. This would provide funding for families to make their own travel arrangements rather than using council-arranged transport. Families would be able to discuss whether this option is appropriate before any decision is made.

Some families who receive post-16 travel assistance may also be affected by a possible increase in the post-16 contribution. We want feedback on the impact this could have on learners and their families before any final decision is made.

How to take part

Read the draft statement and give your views

We want to know if:

the policy statement is clear and easy to understand
it is clear who may be eligible for post-16 travel assistance
it is clear who may not need to pay the contribution
it is clear that a young person's needs will be considered when determining the most suitable travel support
anything is missing from the statement
there are any changes we should make before the statement is finalised

We would also like to understand what impact a possible increase in the post-16 financial contribution could have on learners and their families.

The consultation runs from midday Tuesday 8 September until midday Wednesday 7 October 2026.

The consultation is now closed.