Personal Transport Budget

A Personal Transport Budget is to help parents/guardians arrange home to school transport in a way that suits their personal circumstances. It allows families to make flexible arrangements and monitor the quality of their child’s transport either directly or with other families to achieve the best possible travel arrangements for their children.  The benefits of a Personal Transport Budget are:

• It provides freedom and flexibility for a family to choose the most appropriate travel arrangements for the child that best fit with personal circumstances.
• It provides choice and control over how funding is used to get a child to and from school on time in a way that suits you, your child and your family.
• It ensures resources are distributed in a fair way according to need.
• It allows opportunities to share with other parents and potentially increase your buying power.
• It offers families an alternative to the traditional services that a city council can provide.

A monthly allowance is paid during the academic year school months (September to July); the allowance is based on the distance the child resides from their school.  A Personal Transport Budget can be spent as the parent/guardian likes as long as their child gets to and from school on time and in a way that ensures their safety:

• Purchase a travel pass for parent/guardian or a trusted adult to accompany a child on public transport
• You or someone in your family can drive your child to and from school
• Paying for an escort, arranged by a parent/carer, so a child can walk or travel by public transport, to school
• Arranging shared transport arrangements with other parents, such as shared driving responsibilities, or joint taxi bookings
• Pay for childcare for another child in order for you to take your eligible child to school

Apply for a Personal Transport Budget

To make an application for a personal transport budget (PTB) you must complete a full transport application form.   You will be able to indicate on the application that your preference of transport assistance is a personal transport budget. 

A personal transport budget is granted at the discretion of the Local Authority and may not be granted if it would have an adverse impact on the service to other transport users or where it is not an efficient use of the Council’s resources.   We will contact you if your request for a PTB is declined as we may be able to offer transport for your child to school or college if required.

If a personal transport budget is approved for a post 16 child, then the annual contribution fee will still be applied and deducted from the monthly amount payable.

5-16 online application form (external website)  Post 16 online application form (external website)

Further information

If you would like any further information please telephone 01482 300 300, or write to:

SEN Transport Department, Room 128, 2nd Floor, Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull HU1 2AA.

Alternatively, you can email the completed form to SENtransport@hullcc.gov.uk.

Personal Transport Budget Guidance July 2023

HOMETOSCHOOLTRANSPORTPOLICY 2023 2024 Oct 23 Version