We offer the following transport options for eligible young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND):
In addition, read about taxis and council funded transport and our assessment process for home to school or college transport.
Travel training
Being able to get around independently is a vital life skill when preparing for adulthood, and the York Independent Living and Travel Skills (YILTS) team are experienced in supporting young people with SEND to travel around York.
YILTS staff deliver practical travel training sessions for young people on their home to school or college route, either by walking, cycling or catching a bus. This is often provided when a young person faces a move from primary to secondary school, or from school on to college.
If travel training is successful, the student will be issued a free bus pass for 1 academic year to use on the route they have practised.
The team are aware that not all young people they work with will achieve travel independence. If the sessions are not successful, YILTS staff will work with families to agree longer term plans for further travel training or the provision of alternative support such as a taxi place or a Personal Travel Budget (PTB).
Personal Travel Budget
Eligible young people can receive a PTB for transport on the home to school or college route.
The PTB is a payment of 60p per mile and is paid for 2 round trips a day to the school or college via the shortest route from the young person’s home address.
Parents or carers will be sent a contract to sign agreeing to take their child to and from school or college for the academic year. If the young person is 16 or over we'll pay for the appropriate number of days that they are on roll at the college.
Payments are made at the start of each term. If a young person does not attend school or college for more than 5 days, we require the family to inform us so we can adjust the payment to reflect the trips undertaken.
Taxi places
Eligible young people can receive a place in a taxi or council run vehicle to get to and from school or college.
Currently Streamline Taxis have the contract to provide taxi places for the council. They have been doing this for some years and are experienced in providing support for young people with additional needs.
A Personal Travel Assistant
In some cases a young person may require an adult with them in a vehicle for their safety or that of other travellers. Personal Travel Assistants (PTAs) are not routinely put in vehicles, and they will only be provided if there is strong evidence that they are needed. PTAs are not provided on the grounds of age.
Taxis and council funded transport
Your child’s safety and wellbeing are of paramount importance whilst travelling to or from school or college, and we endeavour to work with families to ensure that the taxi trip becomes a positive part of the young person’s day. Therefore, we will ensure that:
- all staff will engage with you in a polite and professional manner
- taxi drivers and PTAs will have current enhanced DBS clearance, disability awareness, and safeguarding training
- the taxi staff will have information about your child (provided by you when you fill in the application form)
- the taxi company will contact you when a taxi place is initially agreed by the Transport Team to let you know what time the vehicle will pick up and drop off a young person, and to offer a ‘meet and greet’ visit before the first proper trip to school or college
- the taxi will endeavour to arrive within 7 minutes of this agreed time (unfortunately this may not happen on some occasions, due in the most part to traffic congestion in the city)
- the taxi company will contact you if there is a significant delay or issue whilst your child is in the taxi transport
- the taxi company seeks to fill each vehicle so young people can expect to be travelling with their peers
- the taxi company will keep you informed of any changes to the daily transport plan for your child
Complaints will be dealt with courteously and promptly. If your complaint is low level such as the taxi being late, please contact the taxi company directly. However, if you have a more serious complaint, contact the Transport Team.
The taxi company will determine the order in which young people are picked up and dropped off to provide the most efficient route; they will be working within the maximum timings a young person should be travelling as outlined in the Home to School Transport Policy:
- 75 minutes for secondary school or college age
- 45 minutes for primary age and below
Please note: taxi crews are not medically trained or able to administer any medication. If there is a medical emergency, they will either call 999 and take advice or to drive the taxi to the nearest hospital.
Parents or carers should apply for a taxi place via the Transport to school or college form. Sections of the form are shared with the taxi company so full information needs to be included here about the young person, so the taxi company are aware of their needs.
In addition, parents and carers should contact the Transport Team about any major changes to their circumstances, such as a change of address or a child not attending school or college for a long period, so that all records are updated. They should update their contact details with the Transport Team and the taxi company so that they can be reached by mobile phone in case of delay or an emergency.
Parents or carers should communicate with the Streamline school’s office by email: transport@streamlinetaxisyork.co.uk or phone: 01904 615288 to report any day-to-day transport cancellations and not just text the driver or PTA.
Parents, carers or a responsible adult need to be at the house for the handover of the young person at the start and end of the day. In a few instances we may agree that a young person can leave or enter the house on their own, this will need to be agreed in writing with the Transport Team.
Parents or carers should engage with taxi staff and the Transport Team in a polite and professional manner. Failure to do so may lead to delays in providing transport for your child as we may ask for all communication to be made by email or in writing.
Assessment for home to school or college transport
All applications for transport support are assessed by our Transport Team. We check that a child is eligible under our Home to School Transport Policy. We look at the needs of the young person and the barriers they would face if travelling independently.
As part of this process the YILTS team look at current documents such as a young person’s Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and they may contact you, school or college or other professionals involved with the young person. They will then ask for more information or to meet you and the young person at home to discuss transport. They may then want to arrange a practical assessment to determine if travel training is an option in the future.
For young people over 16 there is no statutory duty for the council to provide transport for young people with an EHCP, as long as the support that is offered is outlined in the relevant policy. Some Local Authorities now provide a lump sum to all 16 to 19 year olds and offer no alternative types of support such as a taxi place.
We continue to provide taxi places in some cases for SEND students. However, the responsibility of getting young people to college remains with the family.
All transport provided is subject to the young person and their family cooperating with the assessment process. This is to ensure that transport is provided where it's necessary and not where families or young people can manage this themselves.
Also see:
- Schools and education
- School bus pass
- Transport to school or college
- Sustainable Travel to Schools Strategy
Children and Young People Transport Team
Telephone: 01904 551554 (option 1)