Apply for free transport to school
Your child may be able to get free transport to school, depending on how far the walk is. There is also support for families on low incomes.
This guide is a summary of the county council's school transport policies. It is intended to act as a guide for parents and is not a definitive statement of policy. Please see the full policies for more information.
Eligibility
As a guide, your child could get free transport to school if they attend the nearest suitable school (measured by walking distance, not in a straight line) and the distance from home is:
2 miles or more if your child is under 8 years old
3 miles or more if they are aged 8 to 16
If you get the maximum amount of Working Tax Credit* or your children are entitled to free school meals, they could get free school transport if they:
are over 8 years old, attend the nearest suitable primary school and the distance from home is 2 miles or more
are in secondary school, attend one of their three nearest secondary schools and the distance to school is between 2 and 6 miles
attend a school other than the nearest secondary school on the grounds of religion or belief if the school attended is the nearest of your religion and the distance is between 2 and 15 miles
Eligibility under this policy ends at the end of year 11 in secondary school.
*You’ll get the maximum amount of Working Tax Credit if your annual household income is below the threshold of £7,955 (this is the threshold for the 2024/25 tax year and may change for future tax years).
We measure the distance to the nearest school differently when assessing for free transport and school admissions.
The nearest school is measured by:
walking distance for free transport
a straight line for school admissions
For addresses near to the county boundary the nearest suitable school may be located in a neighbouring Local Authority's area.
If you are in any doubt over the distance between your home and a school and eligibility for free transport please check with the area education office.
If you choose to send your child to a school that Lancashire County Council does not consider to be the nearest suitable school, there is no duty to provide free transport. You will need to make your own transport arrangements.
If you are a low income family* and you move house within Lancashire while your child is in their final year of primary education (year 6) or the final two years of secondary education (years 10 and 11), you could get travel expenses so they can stay at the same school, providing:
the new address is two miles or more from the school
the travelling time is not excessive
they previously attended their nearest school
You may be asked to provide evidence of your new address and date of move.
*If you get the maximum amount of Working Tax Credit or your children are entitled to free school meals you care considered a low income family.
Other special arrangements may be made for other special circumstances for example medical or social difficulties or unsuitable journeys for pupils.
Please include details and supporting evidence in your application.
If you get the maximum amount of Working Tax Credit or your children are entitled to free school meals, they could get free school transport if they:
Attend a school other than the nearest secondary school on the grounds of religion or belief if the school attended is the nearest of your religion and the distance is between 2 and 15 miles
We no longer provide discretionary denominational transport assistance to families who are not a low income family (for example, you get the maximum amount of Working Tax Credit or your children are entitled to free school meals).
If you are applying for a school place you should consider the information about transport in the admissions literature before you apply.
The type of transport provided is at the county council’s discretion.
Normally pupils are sent a travelpass which allows them free travel on a bus or train.
In exceptional circumstances, a taxi may be provided. If your child qualifies for free transport but travels by bicycle, you can claim an allowance. In exceptional circumstances a car mileage allowance may be paid.
A student may be entitled to help with travel if they have significant learning or medical difficulties. See the school transport policies section for more information.
Further education colleges may also be able to provide additional support to their students. This will depend on the policy of the individual college and your circumstances. Please contact your local college's Student Services or Finance Department for further details.
The Post 16 transport to education and training policy statement describes the transport support available.
Visit the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school transport page for eligibility criteria and how to apply.
Children not entitled to free transport
If your child is not eligible for free home to school transport, there are other school transport options available.
When to apply
Please only apply once your child has received their school offer.
We recommend that you apply for your child’s travel pass in plenty of time before it is needed. If you don’t, you may have to pay your child’s travel fares and we may not be able to refund this money. We will only refund any travel fares you have to pay while you are waiting for your child’s travel pass if we have caused the delay.
If your child is new to primary school or new to the area you should apply as soon as you know which school your child will attend.
If your child is transferring from primary to secondary school we will write to you (usually in May or June) if we think your child is eligible. If you have not received a letter by 30 June and think you may be entitled contact us.
If your application is granted, you should expect to receive the pass on the following dates:
If received by 19 July passes sent out by 16 August
If received during August passes will be sent within 20 working days of receipt
If your application is received after 10 August we cannot guarantee that we will be able to issue a pass by the start of the new term.
Outside of these dates, passes will normally be issued and posted to you by 2nd class post within ten working days from the date your application has been granted.
Apply
If your child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan, go to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) page to apply for SEND transport assistance.
For all other applications:
Apply for free home to school transport assistance
Only apply once your child has received their school offer.
If you are applying for more than one child, complete one application form per child.
You will need to provide a digital photograph for secondary school pupils.This can be taken on your own device. It must:
show your child's head and shoulders
be taken against a plain light-coloured background
contain no other objects or people
not have any filters applied or be altered by computer software
Send it as a jpeg with your application form.
Refund of travel costs
In certain exceptional circumstances refunds can be claimed to cover costs of travel/fares paid while waiting for a travelpass, normally where the delay is caused by the council.
If you feel this applies to your circumstances, please contact us and we will send you a claim form to complete.