Fiducia TogetherTransport for post-16 students
Getting to college after 16. A weaker duty than for school-age children.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Local authorities must publish a post-16 transport policy statement each year setting out what support is available. There is no equivalent to the school-age entitlement to free transport.
Where it applies
Students aged 16 to 18, and those aged 19 to 25 with an EHCP continuing in education.
How it works
Councils have discretion over what to provide and commonly offer subsidised passes rather than free transport, sometimes with a contribution.
For students with an EHCP, the council must consider whether transport is necessary to enable attendance, and blanket policies that never consider individual need are open to challenge.
What you can ask for
Read the council's published policy — it must exist and it sets out the criteria.
Apply, even if you think you are ineligible, and ask for an individual consideration where SEND or distance makes attendance impossible otherwise.
Ask about the 16-19 Bursary, which can fund transport where the transport policy will not.
Where to get help
The council's transport team and its published statement. SENDIASS for free local advice, IPSEA and Contact nationally. where there is an EHCP.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.