Parental contributions and other fees

Charges for discretionary transport

Discretionary school transport refers to transport services provided outside of the County Council’s statutory responsibilities.

A parental contribution is required for discretionary transport, and applies to the following groups:

  • Post-16 Transport, including Appeals
  • Children under the age of 5 and any other discretionary transport, including discretionary transport agreed after an appeal or as an Exception to Policy

This page sets out the parental contribution rates for each of these groups.

Invoices for parental contributions are issued in advance for the full academic year. The annual amount will only be pro-rated in half-term increments, depending on the transport start date. Payment is required within 28 days of the invoice date.

Post-16 Transport parent contribution rates

The following policy applies from September 2025:

Post-16 Transport Policy 2025/26

Find out more about Post-16 Transport assistance.

The charges for the 2025/26 academic year are:

Distance to travel Annual charge
Up to 5 miles £829.26
5.01 to 7.5 miles £1,148.54
7.51 to 10 miles £1,608.78
Over 10 miles £1,838.20

The Post-16 Transport Policy 2026/27 will apply from September 2026.

The 2025/2026 rates will increase from September 2026 in line with the March 2026 Consumer Price Index (CPI). The parental contribution rates for the 2026/27 academic year are:

Distance to travel Annual charge
Up to 5 miles £856.63
5.01 to 7.5 miles £1,186.44
7.51 to 10 miles £1,661.87
Over 10 miles £1,898.86

Contribution requirements are changing for new Post-16 Transport users and for students with existing Post-16 Transport whose circumstances have changed (including home address, course, education facility or needs). You can read more about these changes on our dedicated webpage.

The rates in the above tables also apply to discretionary Post-16 Transport agreed after an Appeal.

Parent contribution rates for other discretionary transport, including children under the age of 5

For applications received on or after 1 November 2025, the charges for the 2025/26 academic year are:

Distance to travel Annual charge
Up to 5 miles £1,270.60
5.01 to 7.5 miles £1,759.78
7.51 to 10 miles £2,464.96
Over 10 miles £2,816.50

The 2025/2026 rates will increase from September 2026 in line with the March 2026 Consumer Price Index (CPI). The parental contribution rates for the 2026/27 academic year are:

Distance to travel Annual charge
Up to 5 miles £1,312.53
5.01 to 7.5 miles £1,817.85
7.51 to 10 miles £2,546.30
Over 10 miles £2,909.44

The contribution may be waived if you are in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits listed in the relevant Policy:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
  • Income related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guaranteed element of the State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit (provided the parent/carer is not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
  • Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
  • Universal Credit

The School Transport Service would ask for evidence to support any request for the Parental Contribution to be waived.

The above rates also apply to discretionary School Transport agreed after an Appeal. The rates for discretionary Post-16 Transport agreed after an Appeal will be set based on the table in the Post-16 Transport Parent Contributions section of this page.

Replacement bus passes

If you were issued a physical bus pass by Hampshire County Council for a contracted service and you require a replacement, please complete our online enquiry form.

There is a £20 charge for a replacement physical bus pass. We will post the pass to you after we have received your payment.

If you were issued a digital bus pass by Hampshire County Council which you have printed out, you can print out another copy without needing to contact us. If you cannot locate your digital pass, then please complete our online enquiry form.

If your child has a public transport season ticket, then you will need to contact the operator directly and pay their standard replacement fee.