Post-16 SEND Travel Support: Help Us Shape the Changes
The Council is consulting on proposed changes to travel support for young people aged 16-18 and those young people aged 19-25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) attending further education and training
This includes new policies for:
Young people aged 16-18 where support may change, including who gets help, how it's provided, and whether families contribute to the cost of travel support
Young people aged 19-25, to clarify when free transport is offered and how support is assessed
The aim is to make travel support fairer, clearer, and focused on those who need it most.
This consultation is open from 13th June 2025 until 27th July 2025, 5pm.
The Council are not proposing any changes to the policy for children and young people aged 5-16 (up to and including Year 11).
The Council currently offers provides transport help for young people aged 16 to 25 who primarily have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and have been approved for support. This could be a shared taxi or minibus, or money paid towards travel costs.
Please read below and read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on this page to learn more about the consultation.
Who do we want to hear from?
We are particularly interested in hearing from:
- Young people aged 14-18, particularly those with SEND
- Young people aged 19-25 with SEND
- Parents and carers
We also welcome responses from schools, colleges and SEND professionals, advocacy groups and community organisations; private organisations and businesses; Hounslow residents.
Background
Why the Council Is Proposing Changes to Travel Support
Hounslow Council gives travel support to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to help them get to school or college. This support, called School Travel Assistance, may include transport arranged by the Council (such as a taxi or minibus), payments to help with travel costs (such as fuel or public transport fares), or help learning to travel independently (travel training)
For children aged 5–16, the Council must provide free transport if they are eligible. But for young people aged 16 and over, the law is different:
For those aged 16–18, the Council can choose to offer support — this is called discretionary support.
For those aged 19–25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the Council must provide free transport support if if they consider it necessary to access education or training.
The Council currently offers free, arranged transport to many young people aged 16–25 with an EHCP who have been assessed by the Council as eligible. This help is often in the form of taxis or minibuses, and usually without asking families to contribute money towards the cost. However, demand is rising, and the cost of giving this support has increased a lot.
Why changes are needed
The number of 16–19-year-olds with EHCPs has gone up by 14.9% between January 2024 and January 2025
The School Travel Assistance spend increased to £11.2 million in 2024/25 — a 53% increase in five years
About 88% of students receiving support use Council-arranged transport, which is the most expensive type of assistance
Many under-18s have free access to public transport through TfL
Supporting independent travel helps prepare young people for adulthood
The current policy is not clear about the rules on who qualifies for support and what kind of help is offered. The Council is now reviewing its travel policies to make them fairer, clearer, and more sustainable.
What the Council Is Proposing (Ages 16–18)
The Council is proposing a new policy for young people aged 16–18 (school years 12 to 14). The proposed changes are:
1. Arranged transport only in exceptional cases
Council-arranged transport (like taxis or minibuses) may still be available, but only where absolutely necessary — for example, people with complex medical needs. Each application would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
2. More use of Personal Travel Allowance (PTA)
Most students who still need help but don’t qualify for arranged transport may be offered a Personal Travel Allowance — a payment to help with fuel, public transport fares, or paying someone to help with travel.
3. Introducing family contributions
Families may be asked to pay a contribution towards the cost of support for arranged travel or their personal travel allowance:
20% for most families
10% for low-income households (such as people getting the highest amount of Universal Credit). The Council will consult on how to define "low income" and ensure support remains affordable.
4. More Independent Travel Training (ITT)
If students can do travel training, they’ll be encouraged to take part. To keep getting travel assistance until training is complete they will need an assessment and work with the Travel Training Team to become independent travellers. If the training isn’t right for them or doesn’t work out, they’ll still get other help.
5. Clear criteria and appeals process
To make decisions fair and transparent, the Council will clearly:
Explain who qualifies for support
Provide written decisions after assessments
Set out a two-step appeals process so families can challenge decisions
What the Council Is Proposing (Ages 19–25)
The Council is also reviewing how it provides travel support for young people aged 19–25 with an EHCP who are in education or training.
By law, the Council must provide free transport if it is necessary to help a young person access their education. However, there is still flexibility in how this support is given.
The Council is proposing to:
1. Create a clearer, separate policy for 19–25 year olds
This will make it easier to understand how decisions are made for this age group.
2. Confirm when free transport will be provided
Transport will be offered where a young person cannot travel to their setting without help and no suitable alternative is available.
3. Offer flexible types of support
In some cases, the Council may offer other help instead of arranged transport, such as a personal Travel Allowance, contribute to travel costs, or independent Travel Training where suitable.
4. Improve clarity, assessments and appeals
The new policy will explain how decisions are made, how families can appeal, and what support is available during the process.
What options were considered?
Option | What this means | Pros & cons | Outcome |
Do nothing | Keep the current policy – continue offering mostly free arranged transport for eligible students aged 16–18. | Pros: No change for families. | Rising costs and growing demand make it unsustainable. It would limit our ability to provide support in the future. |
Remove all support for post-16 | Stop offering travel assistance to all students aged 16–18, even those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). | Pros: Financially sustainable. | It would be unfair and have a serious impact on young people with high support needs. |
Provide some support (proposed option) | Continue offering support, but in a different way: Arranged transport only in exceptional cases More use of Personal Transport Allowances (PTA) Ask for a small contribution toward costs | Pros: Helps those most in need, promotes independence, and is more financially sustainable Cons: Some families may have to contribute or arrange transport themselves. | This is the preferred option. It offers a fair balance between supporting those with the greatest need, help manage public money responsibly and promotes opportunity for greater independence. |
What exactly are we consulting on?
Eligibility – Whether to apply specific, clearer guidelines for who qualifies for travel assistance.
Arranged Transport – Whether to limit Council-arranged transport to exceptional cases only.
Personal Travel Allowance (PTA) – Whether to offer a payment instead of arranged transport, and how it should work.
Contributions – Whether families should give money to travel support, and how low-income households are treated.
Travel Training – Whether to encourage or require travel training where appropriate.
Appeals – Whether a two-stage appeals process is fair.
How Can You Get Involved?
You can take part by:
- Completing the online survey linked below.
- Joining one of our public meetings: See key dates on the right (below on a mobile browser).
- Emailing us directly with your views: consult@hounslow.gov.uk
