Assisted Travel Consultation
The information on this page is to help people understand and take part in this consultation. Once you have read the information below and the proposed policies you can return to the Have Your Say website and complete the survey.
Wirral Council wants every child and young person to have a good start in life. We want them to be safe, healthy, and able to learn well so they can reach their full potential.
Most children go to a local school or college. This means they can usually walk or cycle with their parent or carer. But some children and young people need help to get there.
The Department for Education (DfE) sets the legal rules that local councils must follow. These rules say how we must support children and young people with travel to school or college. As a local council, we must follow these rules. We have two policies which cover this:
Assisted travel policy for children and young people aged 0 to 16 (2026 to 2027)
Post-16 assisted travel statement (2026 to 2027)
These policies have not been updated for a long time. We are now reviewing them.
We need to save money and reduce the impact of travel on the environment. But we also want to use some of the savings to help more children and young people travel on their own.
Right now, about 2,200 children and young people use council transport to get to school or college. This includes:
Around 1,900 children aged 0 to 16
Around 230 young people aged 16 and over
We want to offer a modern service that helps children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) grow and become more independent.
To do this, we need to make sure the service is affordable and supports those who need it most.
One of our main goals is to offer Independent Travel Training to more young people aged 16 and over. This is one-to-one support that teaches young people with SEND how to use public transport on their own. It helps them build skills and confidence that will last a lifetime.
The Home to School Transport service will cost the council £12.5 million in the 2024 to 2025 financial year. We expect this cost to rise.
Like many other councils, we are finding it hard to:
Find enough transport providers
Get suitable vehicles
Hire trained drivers
We have worked with key partners to review the policies. Now we want to hear from local people. Your views will help us shape the future of travel support for children and young people with SEND.
Drop in sessions
There will be two drop in sessions per week during the consultation. These are for people who need help to complete an online survey or have it translated into another language. Details of these sessions will be on our What’s on page.
What happens after the consultation ends?
All of the data from the consultation will be gathered together and put into a report. This report will be presented to councillors at the Children’s Committee in March 2026 and councillors will make a decision on the proposed changes based on the feedback collected during the consultation.
Summary of Proposed Changes
Wirral Council wants all children and young people to be safe, healthy and ready to learn. Most go to local schools or colleges and can walk or cycle. But some need help with travel.
We must follow the law set by the Department for Education (DfE). We must help children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) get to school or college.
We’ve updated our travel policies. This summary explains what’s changed.
Draft Changes to the travel policy for ages 0 to 16
We’ve added information for children under school age.
There’s a new summary to help parents and carers understand the policy.
We’ve updated the rules for low-income families to match DfE guidance.
We’ve made it clearer how we decide travel support for children with SEND.
There’s more detail about Independent Travel Training (ITT) for secondary school pupils. This helps them learn to travel on their own.
We’ve explained discretionary travel support more clearly.
We’ve added £3 a day to the personal travel budget, on top of 45p per mile for two trips a day.
We’ve updated the rules for children who are permanently excluded, to match DfE guidance.
There’s more information about travel safety.
Our contact email has changed to assistedtravel@wirral.gov.uk.
Draft Changes to the post-16 travel statement
There’s a new summary to help parents and carers understand the policy.
We’ve made the meaning of “sixth form age” clearer.
There’s more information about public transport passes in Merseyside and Cheshire.
We’ve added details about the walking bus – a group walk to school with support.
We’ve added £3 a day to the personal travel budget, on top of 45p per mile for two trips a day.
There’s more information about ITT for post-16 learners.
We’ve included details about the Care to Learn scheme for young parents.
We’ve added information about residential support and how to apply.
We’ve introduced a Fixed Learner Contribution. This is for students over the age of 16 who qualify for transport from home to the education setting.
This contribution does not apply to young people if they qualify for free school meals. Or if they are children looked after or care leavers.
We’ve explained how we decide if travel support is needed.
Sum
Assisted Travel Review - Questions and answers about changes to travel support
Why is the Council reviewing travel support?
Wirral Council is updating its travel policies to follow new government guidance from 2024. We want to make sure our travel service is good for families and can keep going in the future. We also want to help reduce pollution and meet our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Can I get help to take part in the consultation?
Yes. You can find information in plain English at the top of this page. You can get support at SENDLO Drop-ins. The details of each drop-in are on ‘What’s On’.
If you need more help to share your views, please contact us:
📧 assistedtravel@wirral.gov.uk
📞 0151 606 2008
Will the way I appeal a decision change?
No. The appeal process will stay the same.
How long do I have to give my views?
The consultation runs for 12 weeks.
From 13 October 2025 to 4 January 2026.
Can I take part if my child goes to school outside Wirral?
Yes. If you live in Wirral, you can take part—no matter where your child or young person goes to school.
Will the changes affect my child’s right to transport?
Not right away. Any changes will start in September 2026. If your child or young person gets transport now, nothing will change this school year.
Will I need to reapply for transport?
You won’t need to reapply if:
- your child or young person stays at the same school, and
- your home address stays the same.
You will need to reapply if:
- your child or young person changes school, or
- you move home.
If your young person is aged 16 or over (Post-16), you must apply every year.
What happens after the consultation ends?
We will collect all the answers and write a report. This report will not include names. Councillors will read the report at the Children, Young People and Education Committee in March 2026. We will share a summary of what people said and what decisions were made.
Can children take part in the consultation?
Yes. We will consider the views of children under 16 along with those of parents and carers.
Why do Post-16 students need to help pay for transport?
This change brings Wirral in line with other councils nearby. It costs the Council about £4,500 each year to provide door-to-door transport for one young person. Families will be asked to pay £680 a year towards this cost. The Council will still pay the rest.
Do I have to pay the £680 all at once?
No. You can pay:
- every month
- every term
- or once a year
What is travel training?)
We are setting up a new team to help young people learn to travel on their own. This is called Independent Travel Training (ITT).
Why are children aged 0 to 4 now included?
The Council does not have to provide transport for children aged 0 to 4. But we know that some families in this age group may need help. So, we are including them in the policy for special cases.