My child is entitled to statutory home to school transport, will this be provided when schools re-open in September?
The Council has allocated transport for all statutory pupils, and you should have received a letter confirming this. If your child is a secondary school pupil, they will also have received a QR Bus Pass which must always be carried.
In line with Welsh Government guidance, we would encourage all parents/guardians where possible to take children to school by walking or cycling, or alternatively by mobility car or private car, rather than using dedicated school transport. We understand however, that this will not be possible for some people.
I have not yet applied for school transport, and I believe that my child qualifies for statutory home to school transport, is it too late to apply now?
No, if you have not already done so please fill in the application form that can be found online using the following link.
My child has had their contract changed, why is this?
It could be for a number of reasons, the operator may have terminated a contract, another eligible pupil may apply and we may need to move pupils around for a seat within that area.
What is the time limit for journey’s to and from school for children?
For Primary school children the time is approximately 45mins each way, whilst Secondary school children it is 1hr.
Why has my Secondary aged child been allocated to a Public Service bus?
The Council has and continues to use public bus services for secondary learners. This supports the Learner Travel Measure issued by Welsh Government and aligns with the Welsh Government’s transport policies and the Corporate and Community Plan.
Is it safe for my child to go on a Public Service bus?
The same protocols that govern safeguarding equally apply on public service vehicles and drivers have a DBS, there is also CCTV on the vehicles. Our experience to date is that travelling on public services does not increase the risk of safeguarding incidents, although we appreciate that parents and carers may hold that perception. We will continue to work closely with operators to monitor the behaviour of passengers and review safeguarding measure and transport measures where substantiated concerns arise.
My child is not entitled to free school transport; can I apply for Post 16 concessionary or concessionary transport?
We will start the assessment and allocation of Post 16 concessionary transport from 1st May each year. Please be aware that year on year vacant seats on home to school transport are reducing as the numbers of pupils entitled to statutory transport increases. There is unfortunately no guarantee that we will have any vacant seats on existing transport. In the first instance, we will be dealing with Post 16 applications and following that we will then assess and allocate, where capacity allows, Concessionary transport. Post 16 and Concessionary applications will be prioritised on a first come first serve basis as well as distance from the education setting, this aligns with Welsh Government guidance which encourages the use of active travel where possible.
When will I hear from you in regard to Post 16 Transport?
You will be contacted by email whether you have been successful or unsuccessful in gaining a seat on transport by the end of the first two weeks of the start of the September term.
My child has been refused Post 16 Transport, why is this?
The reason for this is that unfortunately we only have a number of spare seats, and we are not able to provide additional contracted vehicles for Post 16 pupils, we assess each application on a first come, first served basis. We understand that this can cause some anxiety for parents and would suggest that you visit the Mytravelpass website to apply for discounted public transport, should this be in your area. Home ♥ mytravelpass | Welsh Government