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SEND transport for 4 to 16 year olds

If you're seeking assistance with school transport for a child aged 4 to 16 with SEND, please read the below criteria before applying.

Eligibility criteria for SEND transport

Some children have complex and profound needs that can only be met by attending a Special School or Specialist Hub. Only the following groups of children may be eligible for transport assistance:

  • Children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
  • Children attending a Specialist Hub in a mainstream school
  • Children undergoing assessment in a Special School

Not all children with an EHCP require special transport arrangements. Children with an EHCP should be transported to school in a manner that assists their readiness to engage in learning on their arrival at school and ensures both their comfort and safety.

Wherever possible, children with an EHCP should be treated in the same way as those children without, i.e. in general they should walk / cycle to school, travel on public transport, or be taken by parents. They should be encouraged to develop independent travel skills. All children will be encouraged to use public transport as soon as possible as part of their development of independence skills.

If a school / college on the EHCP is parental choice and a nearer provision can meet the needs of the child, rather than a parents more distant choice, we will not provide transport.

Exceptional Circumstances, Fair Access and Emergency Transport

We will consider transport assistance for pupils who fall under these categories on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the relevant Director.

Other options you can apply for

Parents / carers of children eligible for SEND transport assistance have the option of the following three schemes when applying online.

A Personal Transport Budget (PTB) is an alternative to transport organised by the council. It is a payment made directly to families giving you the freedom and flexibility to make transport arrangements that suit you and your child. The amount you receive is based on the distance being travelled from home to the school or education setting.

We offer a cycling allowance of £100 per term to parents of children who are entitled to free home-to-school transport but wish to cycle to school instead.

We will only pay the cycling allowance where the cost of school transport would exceed the amount of the cycling allowance. We will not pay the cycling allowance to children travelling on any other form of transport.

To apply for cycling allowance, you need to complete the online form on our home-to-school transport application system. Section 10 of the online form asks you if you would like to receive the cycling allowance.

When to apply

To apply for transport assistance for the start of the new academic year in September, we must receive applications by 31 July 2026.

Applications received after 31 July 2026 may not be processed in time for the start of academic year 2026-2027. You may need to make alternative arrangements to ensure your child's attendance at school.

How to apply

If you believe your child is eligible for SEND transport, please apply online.

What happens after you apply

During term time, we can usually set up school transport arrangements within 15 working days of receiving an application. It can take longer during busy periods, such as the summer, due to the volume of applications we receive.

We assess each application individually, but plan school transport collectively to ensure routes operate as effectively as possible.

We will email you to confirm whether your application is successful. You will then receive a follow-up letter from us once we have finalised your child's transport arrangements with an operator.

We aim to confirm school transport arrangements with you by the end of August.

We receive high volumes of calls and emails about school transport, particularly over the summer. Please only chase us if you haven't received confirmation of arrangements by the week before term starts.

Further support available to children receiving SEND transport assistance

A Passenger Assistant is often provided for children with SEND, depending on their individual needs and the number of children travelling. Passenger Assistants are provided on all larger routes to special schools.

We regularly review whether a Passenger Assistant is needed and will always discuss any changes with parents and the school. As children grow in confidence and independence, they may no longer need this support.

Passenger Assistants are employed by transport operators. Wherever possible, experienced Passenger Assistants are matched to routes supporting children with complex SEND, and we aim to provide consistency by using the same Passenger Assistant where practical.

Passenger Assistants and Transport Drivers receive training, including safeguarding training. Taxi drivers also complete safeguarding training as part of their licensing requirements.

If helpful, we can arrange for you and your child to meet the Passenger Assistant and/or Transport Driver before travel starts. Please contact the Passenger Transport Operations Team using the details further down this page.

We can issue certain equipment to transport providers - e.g. booster seats with back, booster cushion, specialist seat, creilling harness, cummerbund, buckle safe seatbelt cover etc.

We also can issue the wheelchair and passenger restraints to the transport providers. Different makes and models of wheelchairs need different wheelchair and passenger restraints. We need to ensure the correct restraint is being used. Some wheelchairs are also not transportable. 

You need to confirm the equipment your child requires when you apply online. We will discuss any queries with you. Please also update us if your child's requirements change during the academic year. See contact details further down this page.

Circumstances that require you to re-apply for SEND transport

Once you have applied for SEND transport for your child, you only need to re-apply when / if:

  • Your child reaches a transition year - i.e. Year 7 or Year 12 - and they're due to transfer to a new school or college
  • Your child moves home

Otherwise, if there are no changes to your circumstances, your child will continue to receive SEND school transport assistance and you don't need to renew or re-apply.

Replacement bus pass

If your child loses or damages their school transport bus pass, there is a £15 charge to replace it.

We will replace stolen bus passes free of charge when you supply a valid Police Incident Number.

Policy and guidelines

Further information

If you need help with applying, or have a query not covered by this page, please contact the Passenger Transport Operations Team:

  • Phone: 01733 317455 (open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding bank holidays)
  • Email: educationtransport@peterborough.gov.uk
  • Post:

    Passenger Transport Operations Team
    Peterborough City Council
    First Floor
    Sand Martin House
    Bittern Way
    Fletton Quays
    Peterborough
    PE2 8TY

Using pick-up points rather than home pick-ups can provide a range of benefits for children, families and transport operators. A key advantage is improved safety. When large vehicles are required to collect children directly from individual homes, they often need to manoeuvre in residential streets, cul-de-sacs, driveways or other constrained locations. Reducing the number of home pick-ups minimises the need for complex manoeuvres, reversing movements and frequent stops, helping to lower risk for passengers, pedestrians and other road users. Centralised pick-up points allow vehicles to use safer, more suitable stopping locations that are designed to accommodate larger vehicles.

Pick-up points can also significantly reduce overall journey times. Collecting several children from a single location rather than making multiple individual stops creates a more efficient route and reduces time spent stopping, starting and navigating residential streets. Shorter journey times benefit all passengers, particularly children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who may become tired, anxious or dysregulated during long journeys involving frequent interruptions. A smoother and more direct journey can help children arrive at school better prepared to engage in learning and return home with less stress and fatigue.

In addition, pick-up points can help to promote independence and life skills. Travelling to a designated meeting point, with appropriate support where needed, can encourage children and young people to develop confidence, routine and an understanding of safe travel practices. These are valuable skills that can support greater independence as children grow older and prepare for adulthood. For many families, the use of a local pick-up point can be a positive step towards helping children become more confident in accessing their community.

There are also valuable social benefits. Pick-up points provide opportunities for children to interact with their peers before and after school, helping to develop friendships and social connections that may not occur when children are collected individually from home. Parents and carers can also benefit from informal opportunities to meet and build relationships with other families in their local area, creating a stronger sense of community and enabling mutual support networks to develop. These social interactions can contribute positively to both children's wellbeing and family experiences of school transport.

Overall, well-planned pick-up points can offer a safer, more efficient and socially beneficial transport arrangement, while reducing journey times and supporting children's independence and wellbeing.

Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council have combined the Education and Social Care Transport Service. This means any potential businesses wishing to provide education and social care transport services can now provide these services for both councils.

Further information is available on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.

If we reject your application for school transport assistance, you can challenge the decision through our appeals process.

You have 20 working days from receiving our decision to ask for a review / make an appeal.

Find information the appeals process in our SEND School Travel Assistance Policy.

Please contact us if you have a complaint about anything to do with school transport:

Depending on the nature of your complaint, you can leave the details with our Customer Services staff or ask to speak to the Passenger Transport Operations Team directly.

If your reason for contacting relates to a safeguarding concern, please ask to speak with the Passenger Transport Operations Team directly and / or report your concerns to your child's school as soon as possible.

We prefer you report any issues to us directly, rather than the transport provider. We are able to take action if they breach their Conditions of Contract.

We have to ensure school transport is re-tendered in line procurement legislation and that we achieve best value.

Over the summer, we have to review transport arrangements taking into account children leaving and new students starting school, ensuring transport is provided in the most logistically sensible way and that travel times are as short as possible for those allocated to the routes. Services are usually tendered for a certain time frame and it may not be possible to extend the contractual arrangement.

If your child no longer requires school transport assistance, please let us know:

If you leave any of your belongings on the vehicle, please contact your transport operator directly, or contact us on 01733 317455 and ask for the Passenger Transport Operations Team.

Last updated: 23 July 2026
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