Overview of the scheme
If you're responsible for your child or children's transport to school, you may be able pay for a seat on a vehicle that is contracted to take entitled children to and from school. It involves making available, at a charge, spare capacity on vehicles contracted to take children entitled to free transport to and from school.
You must read the details of the scheme very carefully if you wish to consider participating in the scheme and understand the conditions and constraints.
Availability or spare seats will not be known until after the start of the academic year. This is likely to be as late as October half term. It must be stressed that, until you are told by the Integrated Home to School Transport Team that a seat is available, you must make appropriate arrangements to get your child to school.
Spare seat(s) can only be sold if they are available based on capacity limits of the vehicle, and if in doing so the Public Services Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 are not contravened.
You must also consider:
- children entitled to free school transport take precedence
- seats will only be available for as long as they are not required by a child, or children who is entitled to free transport
- a seat is a concession not an entitlement
- refunds will only be issued if the Integrated Home to School Transport Team need to rescind the seat
- seats could be rescinded at very short notice
It must be stressed that, until you are advised that a seat is available, you must make appropriate arrangements to get your child to school. You should not rely on the availability of a spare seat.
Apply for the Spare Seat scheme (.doc, 48kb)
Students who are 16 and over
Our Post 16 Transport policy statement (PDF, 1.5mb) explains what provision is available for sixth-form age students. The council only makes direct provision for children from low-income families or with special educational needs, who mee the eligibility criteria.
In the first instance, students should contact their post-16 education provider to check whether a seat may be available through the post-16 Spare Capacity Scheme.
How seats are allocated
New spare seat applications are allocated in priority order as indicated below, and dependent on seat availability.
| Priority level | Primary school transport | Secondary school transport | Joint transport |
|---|---|---|---|
| First priority | Infants living between 1 and 2 miles | Spare seats will be offered to education providers as a priority for Post-16 students | Year 11 – in order of date received |
| Second priority | Juniors living between 2 and 3 miles | Year 11 – in order of date received | Year 10 – in order of date received |
| Third priority | Infants living within 1 mile | Year 10 – in order of date received | Primary – as shown opposite |
| Fourth priority | Juniors living within 2 miles | Year 9 to 7 – in order of date received | Secondary years 9 to 7 – in order of date received |
If your child's spare seat is withdrawn
The withdrawal of a spare seat or the provision of a less convenient boarding point, whilst most regrettable, is sometimes unavoidable.
Where possible a minimum of one week’s notice will be given to parents or carers. However, on occasions it may be necessary to make such changes at very short notice, for example within 24 hours. This is because we must give priority at all times to children who are entitled to free transport.
Withdrawal criteria
If it is necessary to withdraw spare seats, it would be done on an individual basis in the following order:
- non-catchment children
- catchment children whose parents are not receiving their maximum Working Tax Credit
- catchment children with parents receiving their maximum Working Tax Credit
- post-16 students
| Removal order | Primary school transport | Secondary school transport | Joint transport |
|---|---|---|---|
| First removal |
Juniors living within 2 miles – oldest child first off |
Years 7 to 9 – last on first off | Secondary years 7-9 – last on first off |
| Second removal | Infants living within 1 mile – oldest child first off | Year 10 – last on first off | Primary – as shown opposite |
| Third removal | Juniors living between 2 and 3 miles – oldest child first off | Year 11 – last on first off | Year 10 – last on first of |
| Fourth removal | Infants living between 1 and 2 miles – oldest child first off | Seats offered to education providers for Post-16 students | Year 11 – last on first of |
Seat capacity
The capacity cannot be increased or unnecessarily maintained at our expense to cater for spare seat passengers. As a result, routes are rationalised to reflect the needs of children who are entitled to free transport. This can lead to fewer or no spare seats being available on a particular route.
Spare Seat Extra
On existing contracted runs, where reasonably possible and the increased costs are fully met by parents or carers, vehicles can be rerouted, or larger ones provided to cater for pupils not accommodated on the existing provision. In these situations, the increased costs would be in addition to a 30p per day administration charge.
Where such arrangements are impossible or impractical, parents or carers of non-entitled children may wish to enter into a private arrangement with an operator.
Some routes operating into William Howard School in Brampton, Ulverston Victoria High School in Ulverston and Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale are likely to be charged at a higher rate for any new applicants from September 2025.
For more information, please contact the Integrated Home to School Transport Team.
Where your child boards the vehicle
The routes of private hire vehicles are organised to meet our responsibilities for children who are entitled to free transport. Your child would therefore be collected at the nearest boarding point determined by the Integrated Home to School Transport Team.
This boarding point may be some distance from your home, and it is your responsibility to ensure your child is taken to and collected from the boarding point. We reserve the right to alter boarding points according to circumstances.
There is no right of appeal if you are unhappy with the pick-up point offered or are not offered a seat.
How much it costs
The cost for Spare Seat travel is £655.60* and is payable termly:
- Autumn term - £251.90*
- Spring term - £203.70*
- Summer term - £200.00*
Pro-rata payments based on the annual cost will be required for passengers who take up a seat after the start of the academic year. Single or one way journeys are not available at a discounted rate.
* This fee applies to the 2024/2025 academic year and is reviewed annually.
Refunds
A refund will be given on a pro-rata basis if it is necessary for the Integrated Home to School Transport Team to withdraw a Spare Seat prior to the expiry of a valid permit. The refund will be payable from the date of withdrawal.
Refunds for permits which are no longer required by the holder will not be made.
The charges are reviewed annually, and any increases may exceed the current rate of inflation or may incur an additional cost if travelling as part of the Spare Seat Extra scheme.
If your child has been issued a Spare Seat Travel Pass
Once your child has been allocated a spare seat, a travel pass will be issued provided that an application form has been completed and the appropriate payment made.
The travel pass must be carried by your child and produced for the driver on each journey otherwise your child may be refused access to the vehicle.
The travel pass can be used only on the designated service by the named holder and must not be given to anyone else to use.
Pay for a spare seat
If you have been offered a Spare Seat on School Transport and have received an invoice from us requesting payment, then you can pay online.
Further information
For more information on the Spare Seat Scheme, you must read the guidance document and agree to the conditions.