Students who receive post-16 transport which began in 2025/26

In August 2025, the County Council approved changes to the Post-16 Transport Policy. These changes included:

• introducing eligibility criteria based on household income from September 2026; and
• introducing parental contributions for all approved users aged 16 to 18, including those from low-income households.

The County Council also agreed that these changes would be phased in. This means that the new eligibility criteria would apply to:

• new applicants for post-16 transport; and
• existing users whose circumstances change, including a change of home address, school or college, course, or transport needs.

Continuing arrangements for existing users

Different eligibility arrangements may apply if a student has received post-16 transport continuously since the 2025/26 academic year and continues to:

• attend the same course at the same school or college;
• travel from the same home address; and
• have no other change in circumstances.

Where these conditions are met, applications for transport may continue to be assessed using the eligibility criteria that applied before September 2026, rather than the income-based eligibility criteria introduced from September 2026.

In addition, students from low-income households who qualify for continuing arrangements will continue to be exempt from parental contributions while aged 16 to 18, in line with the arrangements that applied before September 2026.

This arrangement is intended to support students who were already receiving post-16 transport assistance when the policy changes were introduced and whose circumstances have remained unchanged.

Parental contributions

Eligible students aged 16 to 18 will be required to pay the parental contribution that applies for the relevant academic year.

Students aged 19 and over are not required to pay a parental contribution.

An exception applies for some students from low-income households who qualify for the continuing arrangements described above.

From September 2028

The phased implementation arrangements are temporary.

From the start of the 2028/29 academic year, all applications for post-16 transport will be assessed under the eligibility criteria set out in the current Post-16 Transport Policy, regardless of when transport assistance was first awarded.