Renfrewshire Council

What home to school transport is

Home to school transport is when we:

• pick your child up in the morning
• take them to school
• bring them home after school.

This is normally on a bus service only for pupils.

Depending on your child's situation, other options include:

• a Young Scot National Entitlement Card for a public bus service - for secondary school pupils only
• a train pass for a public train service - for secondary school pupils only
• a taxi, private car hire, or minibus
• the council's own school transport vehicles.

Home to school transport does not include any transport at lunchtime.

If your child gets home to school transport, it's your responsibility to make sure your child is at their pick-up point on time each day.

Who can apply

We'll provide home to school transport for your child if they:

• live more than 1 mile away from their catchment primary school by the shortest safe walking route
• live more than 2 miles away from their catchment secondary school by the shortest safe walking route.

If you're not sure how far you live from your child's school, you can check this list of eligible addresses [3MB] .

We'll also provide home to school transport for any child who:

• has a medical condition that prevents them from walking to school
• has been assessed to attend a specific school to meet their additional support needs
• would have to walk a route that does not meet the criteria of a safe walking route, even if it's less than 1 mile for primary pupils or 2 miles for secondary pupils.

If your child is not eligible for home to school transport

If your child does not meet the criteria for home to school transport, you can apply for a privilege pass.

When spaces become available on home to school transport vehicles, such as school buses, pupils who have applied may be given a privilege pass. This is for long-term arrangements only, not when a home to school transport pupil misses the occasional day.

Anyone can apply for a privilege pass. Your child does not need to meet any eligibility criteria.

You should apply for a privilege pass at the start of the new school year, on the first day of term, although you can apply at other times, too. Allocations will take place in September and October each year once we know what spare capacity is available.

If we get more applications than there are spaces available, we'll carry out a ballot to assign the spaces. Your child might not get a space, but we'll keep your application on a waiting list in case spaces become available at a later date in the current school year.

Even if your child does get a space, we might have to take it away if a child who is eligible for home to school transport needs it later on. This could happen at short notice, but we'll try to give you 5 days' notice.

Before applying

If your child is starting primary school, you should apply at the same time you register them for Primary 1 (P1).

If your child is starting secondary school, you should apply in the February of their last year at primary school.

You can apply at any other time, but it might take us a little longer to review your application and set up home to school transport for your child.

You'll need to reapply for home to school transport if your child moves house during the school year.

If you want more details on home to school transport, you can read our:

• home to school transport policy
• notes on safe walking routes to school.

How to apply

Apply online for home to school transport.

You'll need to tell us:

• your name
• your phone number
• your child's name
• their date of birth
• their home address
• the reason your child needs home to school transport - for example, if they live too far from school to walk.

You can also apply online for a privilege pass.

After you've applied

When you'll get a decision

We'll tell you our decision by emailing a letter to the email address provided on your application form.

If you apply for home to school transport for the next school year, and you apply before the end of May, we'll aim to send you our decision by June.

If your child is already in school and you apply for home to school transport for the current school year, we'll aim to send you our decision in 5 days, but it might take us longer than this.

Appealing a decision

If you think we made a wrong decision, you can appeal (ask us to review the decision again).

You must appeal a decision within 10 days of receiving our original decision letter.

Download and fill in the appeal form.

Email your appeal form to cssupport@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

If you prefer, you can post your appeal form to:

Director of Children's Services
Renfrewshire House
Cotton Street
Paisley
PA1 1LE

We'll aim to tell you our final decision within 20 working days.

If your child misbehaves during home to school transport

If your child misbehaves, the driver may take your child's transport pass.

The driver will notify their supervisor, who will then notify your child's head teacher.

Your child's head teacher will invite you to an interview at the school. You'll need to assure the head teacher that your child will behave before you can get your child's transport pass back.

Until you get your child's transport pass back, you'll be responsible for making your own arrangements to get your child to and from school.

Giving feedback about home to school transport

We've partnered with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), who work with the operators who provide our home to school transport service.

Give feedback about home to school transport on the SPT website.

If you have a concern or complaint about home to school transport, you should phone your child's school. They'll take your details and pass them on to SPT.