Travel support for students aged 16 to 18

The travel support that's available if you're 16 to 18 years old and in further education.

The information on this page applies to students aged 16 to 18 at the start of the academic year who are starting a new course in September 2025.

Students who are already studying a course and get travel support will continue to get the same travel support until the end of their course. You'll need to reapply each year using the post 16 travel support form for 2024 to 2025.

All applications for ongoing travel support for students who already get travel support we'll consider in line with our post 16 travel support policy 2024 to 2025. (109 KB)

Travel support for students aged 16 to 18

We offer travel support for students aged 16 to 18 and in further education at the start of the academic year, which is year 12, year 13 and year 14.

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

You can only get travel support if you're 16 to 18 at the start of the academic year and have a current Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN), a medical condition that means you have mobility issues, or a physical disability that means you have mobility issues.

We can only provide support to students who live in the Bristol City Council area. Check your local council area.

Who can apply for age 16 to 18 travel support

If you're 16 to 18 years old you can apply for travel support if you:

have an EHCP or a statement of SEN, or a medical condition that means you have mobility issues, or a physical disability that means you have mobility issues
cannot travel to school or college independently, due to distance or due to individual need, we may ask you to send us evidence supporting this
attend the nearest school or college that offers the course or is named in Section I of your EHCP

We want to encourage young people to travel independently, feel included and build their confidence. We want to help them develop travel and social skills for post 16 education and beyond.

The travel support

Most students will be able to travel to school or college on their own, but there is some travel support for students who might not be able to do this and have considered all other travel options before applying.

The support we offer:

a bus pass or support with train travel costs
independent travel training when a place is available
a Personal Travel Budget (PTB)

Bus pass or support with train travel costs

A bus pass that can be used for journeys to school or college, as well as evenings and weekends. We may also offer an adult bus pass depending on the student's needs.

We'll pay the cost of train travel so that you can buy your own tickets.

Independent travel training

We'll provide some 1-to-1 sessions to teach students how to travel independently to school or college. The training will also prepare them for life after finishing school or college.

Personal Travel Budget (PTB)

A PTB is a contribution towards helping students make their own travel arrangements. The support can be used to get to school or college in whatever way works best for you as a family, for example:

driving the student to school or college
cycling to their school or college
childminder costs for the student or their siblings
breakfast or after school club costs for the student or their siblings
sharing your personal travel budget with other parent and carers

If your application for a PTB is accepted we'll offer you the standard rate. If your costs are more than the standard rate, we might ask you to provide evidence of this, for example, a quote for a childminder or breakfast or after school club. If you have shown that your costs are more than the standard rate, we'll offer you the enhanced rate.

Some of the PTB may need to be paid back if the student's attendance drops below 90%.

The PTB will be paid to you over 10 months which will be our contribution towards a student's travel arrangements and may not cover the full cost.

The tables show what you might be paid from a PTB based on a student attending all 190 days in the academic year. A trip is the distance one way from your home address to school or college. We pay for 4 trips per day, which is to and from your home address in the morning and then the same in the afternoon.

Standard payment 45p per mile

Mileage Band miles per trip	Daily amount	Yearly amount
0 to 3	£5.40	£1,026
3.1 to 5	£9	£1,710
5.1 to 7	£12.60	£2,394
7.1 to 10	£18	£3,420
10.1to 13	£23.40	£4,446
13.1 to 16	£28.80	£5,472
16.1 to 20	£36	£6,840
20.1 to 25	£45	£8,550

If the journey is over 25 miles you'll be paid the standard rate per mile.

Enhanced payment £1 per mile

Mileage Band miles per trip	Daily amount	Yearly amount
0 to 3	£12	£2,280
3.1 to 5	£20	£3,800
5.1 to 7	£28	£5,320
7.1 to 10	£40	£7,600
10.1 to 13	£52	£9,880
13.1 - 16	£64	£12,160
16.1 to 20	£80	£15,200
20.1 to 25	£100	£19,000

If the journey is over 25 miles you'll be paid the enhanced rate per mile.

Our travel support policy

We'll consider applications for travel support during the academic year 2025 to 2026 and subsequent academic years in line with our Post 16 travel support policy 2025 to 2026.

pdf Easy Read Travel Support Policy (13.70 MB)