We are consulting on our Post-16 home to school / college transport policy and would like your views on the proposed changes.
We hope that young people, their parents and carers, and people working with young people in education and social care will complete this short survey.
Consultation start date: Wednesday 18 February 2026
Consultation closing date: Sunday 12 April 2026 (11.45pm)
We are proposing that young people between the age of 16-18 in need of travel support to access education will usually be offered a Personal Travel Budget, rather than travelling in a vehicle provided by the council (i.e. taxi or small vehicle from home to school/college).
We are planning to implement this change from September 2026 and it will apply to everyone needing travel support from the age of 16. This will mostly affect young people with Education, Health and Care plans (EHCPs) as very few young people without an EHCP benefit from post 16 travel support. This change will not impact anyone currently using transport provided by us, unless they change their course or change their address.
There is no legal requirement to provide transport for children over the age of 16 to access education, but we have a responsibility to consider the needs of those who couldn’t access education without travel support and to put in place provision to facilitate access that we deem necessary.
What is a Personal Travel Budget?
A Personal Travel Budget (PTB) provides funding to enable young people, or their parents or carers, to make flexible travel arrangements to school/ college, rather than travelling in a vehicle provided by the council. Having a PTB gives you / your family the freedom to make decisions and arrangements about how to get to and from school or college each day.
Personal Travel Budgets – read more
PTBs are calculated at 55p per mile of the young person’s home-school / college distance, paid at four journeys a day, for 190 days per academic year (160 days for colleges), pro rata, as necessary.
There is an additional enhancement of up to £150 per term for children or young people with higher level of need, in receipt of higher-level Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Plan (PIP mobility).
Examples of PTB calculations
- Child A lives 5 miles from school and receives £2,090 per academic year, calculated as 5 miles x 4 journeys x 0.55 x 190 days.
- Child B with higher level DLA lives 10 miles from college and receives £3970 per academic year, calculated as 10 miles x 4 journeys x 0.55 x 160 days plus £450 enhancement.
Benefits of a Personal Travel Budget
PTBs are paid termly, in advance via a direct payment card. If a child’s attendance drops below 95%, the next term’s payment is adjusted accordingly.
PTBs are attractive to many families because of the flexibility they offer around travel arrangements, as well as for the “up front” payments which can assist with expenses such as new tyres or car servicing. PTBs are more cost effective than the provision of contracted transport and positive promotion has increased take-up by over 300% since 2021.
PTBs are not just for petrol expenses, they can be used in a variety of ways to support families and young people with the often-complex organisation of home-school travel, for example:
- paying an escort to travel with the young person on public transport (if travel training and independent travel is not appropriate)
- use of Herts Lynx (in East & North Herts and Dacorum)
- paying for taxis, e.g. in rural areas, to allow access to public transport services
- paying for a friend / colleague or family member to transport a young person.
Parents and carers are responsible for considering the potential tax implications from receipt of a PTB if the payment made significantly exceeds the cost of the travel provided. For example, for families transporting their young person in a private car, potential costs are:
- UK average mileage per gallon of fuel – 39 miles
- Average cost of fuel (diesel, 11 December 2025) – £1.45 per litre
- Home school mileage – 10 miles.
In this example, a family would be provided with a PTB for 40 miles a day at a rate of £22 a day, £3,520 a year for 160 college days. Fuel costs would be approximately £6.50 daily, leaving £15.50 to contribute to vehicle wear and tear and other costs.
Many families and young people currently benefit from the flexibility provided by a PTB:
- increasing a young person’s independence and preparation for adulthood by supporting and encouraging independent travel
- providing transport support for journeys not at the standard start and end of school / college day, for example to support the provision of a temporary part-time timetable or to attend medical and other professional appointments scheduled during the school / college day
- supporting care / wrap around provision for other children to allow parents / carers to transport the young person
- sharing transport arrangements to lessen cost, environmental impact and the impact on individual time.
Why we are proposing a change
Over recent years, the number of young people with EHCPs requiring transport has grown significantly. Home to school / college transport costs for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have almost doubled in five years, placing considerable strain on our budget and impacting our ability to invest in wider SEND improvements.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25 home to school / college travel costs for children and young people with an EHCP living in Hertfordshire increased from £17.7million to £33.8 million; a 91% increase in costs in five years. The forecast for the 2025-26 financial year is £37.5million.
While there is a statutory duty to provide transport for pupils aged 5–16, there is no legal entitlement to Post‑16 transport. Despite this, we have continued to provide vehicles as a form of travel support for many young people aged 16–18.
Given the increasing pressure on our budget, the need to continue to invest in SEND provision and the increasing costs of transport for children and young people with EHCPs, it is proposed that a policy change is implemented in September 2026. A move to PTBs, as the default travel support offer for young people aged 16-18, would maximise cost savings whilst still providing parents, carers and young people support to access education and training.
However, the proposed changes are not simply about cutting costs, they will help young people with SEND prepare for adulthood. Furthermore, we will ensure that savings from the scheme will be used to support the improvement and development of SEND services in Hertfordshire.
Details of the consultation
The specific proposals we are consulting on are:
- To replace county council contracted transport with PTBs, as far as it is reasonably practicable, for all young people between the ages of 16-18 who are eligible for travel support and are unable to travel independently.
- To introduce this change from September 2026 for all young people, except those who are currently receiving contracted transport under the existing 16-18 policy. Any young person receiving contracted transport under the current Post-16 policy will be eligible to continue to receive it if they remain at the same home address and same education provider.
- To calculate PTBs on the basis of the current mileage rate for the home to school journey (£0.55p per mile) for 4 journeys a day.
- To provide “individual needs” top-up funding of up to £450 a year to applicants in receipt of higher-level Disability Living Allowance or PIP.
- To operate a two-stage complaints / appeal process for parents / carers / young people who believe that their PTB is not appropriate, fair or sufficient and thus it is not a reasonably practicable alternative to county council contracted transport.
- To agree that if, through a complaint or appeal, contracted travel is agreed, a financial contribution of £1,632 will be required from all families for 2026-27.
- To agree that any financial contribution will be waived for low-income families (defined as eligible for free school meals or a family in receipt of the maximum level of working tax credit).
We are proposing to implement this change incrementally by year group, with young people currently supported under the Post-16 travel policy continuing with their existing arrangements until they are 19 or change address / provision and require a new travel assessment.
Appeals / discretionary process
We have a well-established 2-stage transport appeal process to allow consideration of exceptional cases outside the published policy. Firstly, consideration by a discretionary transport panel and then, at Stage 2, further consideration through a senior officer review or appeal panel.
Whilst the current process works well, we anticipate a possible increase in the number of Post 16 appeals for travel support. Therefore we are proposing that the existing process is replaced with an alternative 2-stage process: Stage 1 considered by a senior officer and Stage 2 by a panel. An overarching quality assurance process will also be introduced to ensure consistency of decision-making at Stage 1. This will support efficient and effective decision making and make the process quicker for families.
Legal requirements
Young people over the age of 16 do not have an entitlement to support for home-school / college travel. Guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) explains that “a Local Authority must provide what provision it considers necessary to facilitate the attendance of all persons of 6th form age to receive education or training… and must consider the needs of those who could not access education or training provision if no arrangements were made.”
Local authorities must publish a Post-16 transport statement which explains the travel arrangements and financial support for travelling expenses that will be available from the local authority that it considers necessary to facilitate access to education or training for learners of sixth form age for the following academic year. DfE guidance explains that these arrangements could include but are not limited to:
- concessionary fare schemes
- a bus pass or cash equivalent of a bus pass
- independent travel training
- a fixed mileage allowance
- provision of actual transport.
Local Authorities must consider the needs of those who could not access education or training provision if no arrangements were made, particularly:
- the most vulnerable or socially excluded
- young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities
- those not in education, employment or training (NEETs) or vulnerable to becoming NEETs
- young parents
- those in rural areas with limited transport