Travel assistance to school or college
Help with travel to school or college
Pupils and students may qualify for travel assistance for a number of reasons; they may have a physical disability or learning disability which would mean they would be unable to get to and from school in the same way as their peers. Eligibility may change over a pupil/students career and you may have to re-apply for travel assistance from time to time.
School bus passes are available to children who live in Manchester and are attending a Manchester school. There is an exception to this for year 10 and 11 students who have just moved to Manchester from another authority as it is seen that the move to a new school at such a late stage in their schooling may be detrimental to the student.
If you think your child may be eligible for travel assistance please contact the Home to School Transport team on 0161 219 6400 (calls are taken by Environment on Call).
Transport your child with assistance from the Home to School Transport team
You will be asked by the Home to School Transport team if you can take your child to/from school yourself. If you are in a position to do so then you will be expected to make the necessary arrangements. A solution to your child's travel needs may be to assist you with travel expenses.
This may be discussed with you by members of the Home to School Transport team on receipt of your application. You should be aware that in all cases parent/carers are responsible for ensuring their child gets to school or college. Travel assistance will only be provided to those who meet eligibility criteria.
How is travel assistance provided?
Travel assistance is only provided to those children who meet eligibility criteria. For those children who are eligible, an assessment of their needs will take place and an appropriate travel solution will be identified.
Travel solutions may take the form of multiple pick-up transport, in which case it is likely that your child will need to be delivered/collected from a pick-up point on a designated route. Alternative travel solutions may include walking buses, covering parental mileage costs and a personal travel budget to name but a few.
A typical journey to school or college
Journeys to and from school or college within the Manchester area should not take longer than one hour maximum, if normal weather and traffic conditions allow. However there may be times when the journey could be longer.
This time limit does not apply to pupils and students travelling into Manchester from outside of the Manchester area.