Travel Support for Students aged 16 or over

You can only get travel support if you are aged 16-25 and have special educational needs or need medical or physical help.

Support is only available for students attending sixth forms and colleges.

If you are doing an apprenticeship or traineeship your learning provider is responsible for meeting an reasonable expenses.

The support that is offered is partially funded financial assistance.

You will need to pay £400 (correct at time of writing, February 2023) which can be divided into 5 equal payments of £80 to cover the six terms of the academic year.

Private transport, such as a taxi, will only be provided where there is no other suitable choice.

Who can apply for Post 16 Travel Support?

If you’re 16 to 19 years old you can apply for travel support if you:

• go to the nearest post 16 provider that has the course you need
• are studying a full time course
• have either:
  • a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEND)
  • an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
  • a medical or physical difficulty so you’re unable to walk 3 miles accompanied

If you’re 19 to 25 years old then you must meet this criteria but our decision to give support will be decided on a case by case basis.

If you get a SEND statement or ECHP after you’ve started your course

You should try to get a SEND statement or EHCP before you start your course.

You can apply for travel support if you get a SEND statement or a EHCP after you’ve started your course but:

• your application will be considered based on your age and journey length
• you’ll need to supply medical evidence with your application

Courses outside the Bristol area

If your school or college is outside the Bristol Local Authority area, you should still apply to us.

We may offer a Personal Travel Budget (PTB) instead.

Distance to your school or college

Contact us if you want to study a course that is beyond the daily travel distance.

Apply for post 16 school travel support

To apply for post 16 travel support:

• fill in the docpost 16 travels support application form (doc, 63 KB)
• email it to [email protected] 

You must apply for this travel support for each year of post 16 education.

Application deadline

You should apply for travel support by 31 July each year.

If you apply after this date we can’t guarantee that support will be ready for the start of the academic year.

Appeals

You can appeal if your application has been turned down.

All applications for travel support are considered in line with our pdfpost 16 school travel support policy (pdf, 160 KB).

To appeal you must

• tell us the reason why you’re appealing
• send us any supporting evidence such as a medical report

You can:

• email your appeal to: [email protected]
• or write to us at: Home to School Travel Team, PO Box 3399, Bristol, BS1 9NE

Other support

You may be able to apply for a 16 to 19 year old bursary to help with expenses, such as travel costs.

Visit bursary fund (GOV.UK) to see if you’re eligible.