Local authorities must provide free transport to some pupils in their area. The law allows local authorities to provide free transport even when they do not have a legal duty to do so. This means that different local authorities have different policies about providing free transport. You can contact your local authority to find out about their policy and whether your child is entitled to free transport to school.

Local authorities must provide free transport to pupils who live further away from their school than the ‘statutory walking distances’. These are:

Regardless of the distance, local authorities must consider the safety of the route to school for pupils and can provide free transport if necessary.

This applies if your child attends their catchment school or if they go to a school that the local authority has placed them in.

If your child’s needs or circumstances make it difficult for them to get to and from school, your local authority may decide to provide transport for them, even if they live within the ‘statutory walking distance’ of the school. This might be part of the support your child needs to be able to do the best they can at school.

If your child is disabled, the local authority must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for them to make sure that they are not disadvantaged. In some circumstances, providing transport might be considered a ‘reasonable adjustment’. Read more on our webpage on Disability rights.

You can contact the local authority to discuss your child’s situation and what options may be available for them.

If you or someone else in your household has support needs that mean your child cannot get to school without transport being provided, you should discuss this with the local authority to make sure your child can access their education.

It is important to know that if you make a successful placing request to a school run by a local authority, the local authority will not have a duty to provide transport for your child to attend the school, even if it is further away than walking distance.

However, if the school you have applied for is the only one that can meet your child’s needs, your local authority should consider whether refusing to provide transport would lead to them not providing your child with the support they need to get the best from their school education.

If you make a successful placing request to an independent or grant-aided special school in Scotland or a school elsewhere in the UK, the local authority is responsible for paying the fees and other necessary costs of attendance, including transport.

You should always discuss transport with your local authority before making a placing request.

Read more on our webpage on School placements.

If you are moving house, you may wish for your child to stay at their current school.

If you are moving house but staying within the same local authority area your child cannot be forced to leave their school unless they are excluded.  You can ask the local authority if they will provide transport for your child to stay at their current school, but they do not have to agree to this.

If you are moving to a new local authority area, the new local authority will become responsible for your child’s education and support. If you want your child to stay at their old school, you should get in touch with the local authority you will move to and ask if they are willing to let your child’s placement at their current school continue. You can ask the local authority if they will provide transport for your child to stay at their current school, but they do not have to agree to this.

The local authority may also pay travel costs or make arrangements for free transport to:

But the local authority does not legally have to offer free transport to these pupils. Your local authority’s school transport policy might have more information about this.

The local authority has a duty to offer any spare seats on a bus or taxi to other pupils. They can charge for this if they wish. They can also withdraw the offer if the seats are later needed for pupils who are entitled to or need free transport. If they do this, they should give a period of notice to pupils who are currently using the seats.

The local authority is responsible for your child’s safety and supervision while on transport to and from school. When deciding what type of transport is best, the local authority should consider your child’s safety, their age, and their additional support needs.

The local authority should involve you and your child from the start in discussions about transport. For example, you should agree in advance what will happen if there is a medical emergency on the journey

Escorts may be employed to be with your child in the taxi or bus on the way to and from school. They need to know about your child’s needs and should receive training if necessary. Drivers may also need specialist training. By law, anyone who provides childcare or supervises children must be fully checked through Disclosure Scotland.

All vehicles that are provided or arranged by a local authority for school transport must have a seat belt fitted to each passenger seat. If adaptations are needed for children with additional support needs, the local authority should assess what changes are needed and make the necessary arrangements.

If you think that your child might be entitled to free transport but is not getting it, or there is another problem like your child’s transport being changed, there are some steps you can take. If your child has additional support needs, you should first contact your local authority’s additional support for learning contact.

If they are not able to resolve the problem, there are further steps you can take, like asking for mediation. You can read more about these on our webpage Solving problems with your child’s school.

Your local authority’s school transport policy should have information about how they make decisions on eligibility for transport. You can usually find the policy on the local authority’s website, or you can contact them to ask for a copy.

For more information about school transport, visit the Contact website.  Contact is an organisation that supports families who have disabled children.