In addition, the private transport market, on which we rely for most of our school transport, cannot always meet this level of demand consistently and not without continued substantial increases in cost.

School transport costs have increased by 52% since 2021/22 with the current annual cost to transport a single pupil to and from school being £1,305, which is an 8.5% rise on last year’s figure.

The change we are introducing will ensure that school travel is affordable, reliable and promotes the benefits of active lifestyles within communities.

Transport will now only be provided for:

• From August 2024, any secondary pupil who lives more than three miles from their catchment school by the nearest acceptable walking route.
• From August 2025, any primary pupil who lives more than two miles from their catchment school by the nearest acceptable walking route.

Parents affected by this change will be notified directly in writing.

All future applications for transport will be subject to this change. These changes do not affect pupils who attend additional support needs schools.