Transport applications
How do I apply for school and college transport?
School transport can be applied for online.
Please ensure you read all the information prior to applying. Once your application is received, eligibility will be assessed.
I made a mistake on my application, what do I do?
Email schooltransportapplications@lincolnshire.gov.uk with the correct information.
What happens if a child lives with parents at two separate addresses?
We're only responsible for transport from one resident address, which would be considered the one that your child lives at for most of the calendar week. When your child is staying at another address it's the parents' responsibility to ensure they can get to and from school.
Do I need to apply every year?
No, you only need to re-apply when your child changes school for example year 6 to year 7 and year 11 to further education or if there is a change in circumstances for example moving house or school mid year.
For post 16 transport you need to apply each year they are in further education.
Making changes to transport
What do I need to do when moving house?
Please complete a new application form as soon as you are aware, your eligibility will need to be re-assessed.
Can I cancel transport if it is no longer needed?
Yes, please email schooltransportapplications@lincolnshire.gov.uk with your child's TRA number and we will cancel transport for you. Should transport be required in future you would need to reapply. Alternatively you can use our Contact Educational Travel form form to request.
Where can I find my TRA number?
This will be on all correspondence from Transport Services (Eligibility letter / Bus pass letter / Taxi information). Alternatively, you can use our Contact Educational Travel form to request.
Post 16 transport
How do I apply for Post 16 college transport?
Post 16 transport can be applied for online.
Please ensure you read all the information prior to applying.
What do I do if my child gets a bursary?
Please speak to the School or College to ensure that this payment is with Transport Services ahead of the new term as we cannot issue a bus pass or provide transport without payment being made. There may be occasions where parents are required to pay the first instalment of the Post 16 fee, if the bursary is then received this will be refunded back to you.
Where can I find my PAYEE ref number for Post 16 transport?
This is emailed to you, please check your emails. If you are unable to find it please email SchoolTransportApplications@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
Alternatively you can use our Contact Educational Travel form to request.
Concessionary transport
What is concessionary transport?
If your child is not eligible for school transport you may be able to apply and pay for a concessionary seat on a vehicle.
Find out more about concessionary school transport.
Personal travel budget
What is a personal travel budget?
These are payments that are made to parents to cover the mileage cost to transport their child to and from school. These are approved by Transport Services when there is no alternative provision or the needs of the child have been assessed and it deemed appropriate for the parent to transport.
If you circumstances change you will still need to re-apply for transport so we can re-assess your child's situation.
Mileage payments can be claimed monthly and payments will be made within 28 days of an undisputed claim.
Transport provision
I have been approved transport, how long will it take until I hear what transport provision is in place?
During the year applications can take up to 10 working days following a completed application. Applications for the new school year in September, providing all information is with us by the end of May, transport will be in place for the start of term. Whilst an application is being processed the parents are responsible for ensuring the child gets to and from school. We will not refund any travel fees unless there has been a delay caused by Transport Services.
Is transport provided for induction days?
No, transport is not provided for children attending induction, taster or transitional days or sessions before joining the school or establishment.
What transport will my child receive?
The transport options offered will depend on the circumstances and can range from public bus services to taxis and personal travel budgets. The most suitable arrangements will be decided by LCC transport services.
Can I travel with my child on the first few days of school?
No, we do not allow parents to travel on vehicles as they are shared with other students.
Will there be a Passenger Assistant on board?
Passenger assistants are only provided where a specific health and safety need has been identified for individual passengers
Do the crew on my child's transport have a DBS check?
Yes, all crew working on Lincolnshire County Council contracts have an enhanced DBS check. They are also issued a badge which you can request to see when the vehicle arrives.
Can my child be picked up or taken to a different address on occasion?
No, we can only arrange transport from and to one address.
Buses
How far will my child have to walk to the bus and how long will their journey be?
Although we aim to provide transport as close to the home address as possible, Primary aged students can be expected to make their own way up to 1 mile to a collection point, secondary is up to 2 miles and Post 16 is 3 miles. Please note that the suitability of the route is considered for statutory school age (up to age 16) but not for anyone in Further Education. If you believe the route to be over distance or unsuitable, please email TSG@lincolnshire.gov.uk and we will re-assess the provision.
We will aim to provide journeys of no more than 45 minutes each way for Primary aged students and 75 minutes for secondary age. These times are only a guidance and there will be occasions where these times are not met.
These times will also apply for SEN children, however as some are travelling further to their most suitable school the travel time will be increased.
My bus pass has expired how do I get a new one?
If the bus pass has expired midway through a year, it will be due to the contract being reviewed and a new pass will be posted to your home address prior to the start of the new term. If you have not had this pass then please email your child's TRA number to TSG@lincolnshire.gov.uk and we will re-issue the pass.
Alternatively you can use our Contact Educational Travel form to request.
Can my child swap onto another bus to be with their friends?
If we are already providing a service that meets the requirements as set out within our School and College Transport policy then we have no obligation to swap buses. No requests to move buses will be actioned in August or September as these are our busiest period. Swaps will however be granted if we have wrongly allocated your child.
We will aim to allocate siblings to the same vehicle, however this may not be possible due to loadings or it may have been missed due to the volume of applications. Should you wish to make a request please use our Contact Educational Travel form.
Taxis
Can my child have a taxi instead of a bus?
Transport may be provided in smaller vehicles if it has been assessed that the pupil has a specific difficulty or disability that prevents them from travelling safely using bus or train services. We'll ask for professional third-party medical evidence if it is not apparent from our records what the issues are.
Please note that any form of loan taxi transport is an exception to the rule and only considered when all options have been explored.
When and where will a taxi collect from?
We do not ask drivers to knock on the door or otherwise announce their arrival as they may have other students on board and cannot leave them unattended in the vehicle. Please ensure that you look out for the vehicle at the allocated pick-up time and your child boards the vehicle as soon as it arrives.
Occasionally a group pick up point may be arranged for shared taxis from the same area.
Parents are not able to choose a collection time, these are set by Transport Services and the taxi provider.
For primary and SEN students, we require a responsible adult to be at home to receive the child. If you are not home, it is important that the transport crew have a means to contact you. If we are unable to contact, you and there are other children on board these will be returned home and then the vehicle will come back to your property. If there is still no one home the child may be returned to school or taken to a local police station.
Why has my child's taxi changed? What do I do it I am not happy with the new arrangements?
Transport contracts do have to change from time to time to ensure the most efficient and effective use. When changes are made we will communicate these with the parents as soon as we can. The requirements of the children are supplied to the new provider ahead of time and where authorised home visits will take place.
If there are issues with the new provision please use our Contact Educational Travel form to report the issue as an incident.