Post-16 Transport Policy Statement

Read more about the eligibility for post-16 transport for:

• Sixth Form age for all young people
• Sixth Form age with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND)
• Adult learners (19 or over on a new course or programme) with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities

Sixth Form age for all young people

Young people over compulsory school age are eligible for free transport only if they fulfil the following conditions:

• the young person must be resident in the City of York Council area
• the young person must be aged 16 but under 19 on the 31 August, and
• the young persons’ parent or carers or the young person (if living independently), must be in receipt of one of the following benefits:
  • Income Support or Employment and Support Allowance (income-related)
  • Income-based not Contribution-based Jobseekers Allowance
  • Child Tax Credit with an annual household income below £16,190 and not receiving Working Tax Credit
  • support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • guarantee element of State Pension Credit
  • Universal Credit – where your annual household earnings is less than £7,400 per year
• the educational establishment the student is attending must be more than 3 miles using the shortest, safe walking route from their ordinary place of residence; and
• the student must be attending a full–time course (normally more than 15 hours per week) at the nearest publicly funded school, college or educational establishment to offer their course, or they are attending the school serving the catchment area where their home address is located

Assistance is normally restricted to the purchase of a bus pass on behalf of the student; however, in exceptional circumstances, other forms of assistance may be considered. The maximum amount of assistance in any one academic year will be restricted to £500.

Sixth Form age with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND)

Applications for travel assistance can be made for young people who meet the following basic criteria:

• live in the City of York Council area
• where they have SEND, usually they will have a current Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
• will be attending the equivalent of a full-time educational course (normally a full-time educational course is a course that runs for more than 15 hours a week) which allows for appropriate progression
• a placement which is the nearest suitable college to their home address, unless agreed otherwise by the council, for example a setting named in the student’s EHCP
• are unable to travel to the placement independently

All applications for travel assistance will be assessed by the transport team taking into account the following:

• the age, capabilities, vulnerabilities and needs of the young person (using information provided by the young person, family, education and health professionals and documents where appropriate)
• the nature of the journey in terms of accessibility, safety, public transport options, and whether the journey could reasonably be made on foot or public transport if the young person were accompanied
• whether immediate family or family network members are consistently available and able to support the young person with their journey and if they have a suitable vehicle available
• the student's needs relating to travel for example, whether the student has complex needs, or requires a second person on transport; if independent travel is a realistic goal, and whether this has been actively encouraged by the family
• other relevant factors, for example, the health of the parent or carer and the potential impact on them to provide transport or accompany the student

Eligible young people will receive the least restrictive, most sustainable and cost-effective form of support which promotes the greatest independence. As part of their assessment, the transport team assessors may need to meet with the young person and their parents or carers to fully understand their needs and to determine whether any support offered can be changed to increase independence during the academic year.

Adult learners (19 or over on a new course or programme) with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities

All applications for travel assistance will be assessed by the transport team taking into account the following:

• the age, capabilities, vulnerabilities and needs of the student (using information provided by the student, family, education and health professionals and documents where appropriate)
• the nature of the journey in terms of accessibility, safety, public transport options, and whether the journey could reasonably be made on foot or public transport if the young person were accompanied
• whether immediate family or family network members are consistently available and consistently available and able to support the young person with their journey and if they have a suitable vehicle available
• the student's needs relating to travel for example, whether the student has complex needs, or requires a second person on transport; if independent travel is a realistic goal, and whether this has been actively encouraged by the family
• what funding is available for transport from the learning provider (there is an expectation the learner has actively applied); what other funds the learner can access, whether the adult learner is receiving Personal Independent Payments with the mobility component as a means to securing independent travel
• advice from the college, for example, whether independent travel training is taking part as part of the programme
• what arrangements have been considered or tried and why they are not suitable
• other circumstances relevant to each case

Eligible young people will receive the least restrictive, most sustainable and cost-effective form of support which promotes the greatest independence. As part of their assessment, the transport team assessors may need to meet with the young person and their parents or carers to fully understand their needs and to determine whether any support offered can be changed to increase independence during the academic year.

If a young person started a course before their nineteenth birthday and are continuing the same course the criteria set out for the 16 to 19 young people applies.

Also see

• Transport to school or college
• Schools and education
• School bus pass