26th August 2025

• In England, local authorities must provide free transport for eligible pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – but only until they turn 16. After that, there’s no legal requirement, even though young people must remain in education or training until 18.

  National charity Contact are calling this a “loophole”; they say that it makes no sense that the law expects young people to stay in education until they’re adults, when the transport they need to get there can be reduced or removed at 16. For cash-strapped councils, this makes post-16 transport an easy target for savings.

  Earlier this year, Sheffield City Council proposed replacing SEN transport by taxi or minibus with mandatory Personal Travel Budgets (PTBs)* for most post-16 students. Families pushed back strongly during the public consultation, with the majority opposing the plan. The council listened and dropped the idea of making PTBs compulsory. Instead, they are now offered as an optional alternative for eligible families.

  However, take-up has been low. Only a small number of families have opted for PTBs, while demand for SEND transport continues to grow — putting increasing strain on the council’s budget.

  The council’s latest suggestion is to increase the contribution that parents pay towards post-16 SEN transport from currently £540 to £1,000 per year. A public consultation on this proposal has been launched and will remain open until 24 September 2025. Any increase would take effect from January 2026 at the earliest. Find out more and respond to the consultation

  Meanwhile, Contact are campaigning to change the law so that transport support must continue until the end of compulsory education at 18.  Find out more

  *A Personal Travel Budget (PTB) is an amount of money paid to parents to arrange their child’s transport to school or college. The amount is based on the travel distance. For example, a student who lives 3-5 miles away from college and attends four days per week would receive £1,094 per year. When a PTB is agreed, responsibility for getting the young person to and from school or college passes from the council to the parents.