From Herefordshire Council:
‘You have a legal responsibility to ensure that your child attends school regularly and this includes arranging travel to and from school, meeting the costs of this and accompanying your child as necessary.
‘In some cases, we have a legal obligation to provide free school transport.
‘Normally this will be a bus or rail service from a home address to the nearest school.
‘The service will run at the beginning and the end of the normal school day and no transport is available for out-of-hours activities.
‘We will help your child with home to school transport if your child is attending their nearest school and:
They live over three miles from school (over two miles if they’re under eight)
They have income-based free school meals and live over two miles from school.
Their route to school is less than three miles, but too dangerous to walk even when accompanied.
‘If you don’t qualify for free transport you may be eligible for the Vacant Seat Payment Scheme.
‘If we have a spare seat on a bus we may be able to ‘sell’ that seat to you in return for a termly contribution.
‘The seat may be withdrawn, however, with one week’s notice, if an entitled passenger requires it.
‘If your application is approved a bus pass will be sent to school for collection on the first day of term.
‘You will need to meet the allocated bus at a stop along its existing route, and travel between home and the stop remains the responsibility of parents.
‘The current full charge for parental contributions for 2024/25 is £1,000 a year, either paid in advance online by debit or credit card, or monthly by direct debit in 10 instalments from September to June.
‘If you apply after 31 July your monthly payments will differ. You will be asked your payment preference when you apply.
‘If paying in full you will be sent details of how to pay if your application is approved. A pass will not be issued until payment is received.
‘Please be aware, any non-payments will result in passes being withdrawn.’
Full information – https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/public-transport-1/school-college-transport
