Transport: Schools
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the environmental impact of increased private car use by rural families resulting from school transport regulatory requirements.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
Local authorities have a duty to arrange free home to school travel for eligible children – those who attend their nearest school and would be unable to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs and disabilities or mobility problems or the safety of the route. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income households intended to support school choice.
Local authorities also have a discretionary power to arrange travel for other children and a duty to promote the use of sustainable travel on journeys to and from places of education in their area. There have been no recent changes to the regulatory requirements for home to school travel.
Public transport has a role to play too. The Bus Services Act 2025 gives local leaders greater jurisdiction over bus services, enabling them to ensure local bus services meet the needs of their communities.
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