Vale of Glamorgan Council
Cyngor Bro Morgannwg

Children-Leaving-SchoolSchool Transport

Local Education Authorities have a statutory duty to provide free school transport for pupils of statutory school age who reside beyond walking distance to the nearest appropriate school.

 

The Council doesn't provide free school transport for nursery-age children other than some with a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN).

 

The Vale of Glamorgan Council has a discretionary policy that provides financial help towards travelling to and from college.

 

If your child qualifies for free school transport, permission will normally be given to travel on a contract vehicle if there is one serving your area. In other cases a bus pass will be provided to travel on the service network.

 

The Vale of Glamorgan Council provides free school transport for:

  • Primary age pupils residing two miles or over from their nearest designated catchment area school of type
  • Secondary age pupils residing three miles or over from their nearest designated catchment area school of type
  • Distances are measured by the shortest available walking route and pupils will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult if necessary

Mainstream School Transport Arrangements 2021-22 

Parents/carers will receive letters, as normal over the summer, informing them of the service their child(ren) will be allocated to, with a caveat that they should refer to this page for updates. 

 

Important Information

Entitled Pupils

Pupils from Reception to Year 11 are automatically assessed for free mainstream school transport. Pupils of primary school age qualify for free school transport if they live over 2 miles from their catchment area school, next nearest if catchment is full. Pupils of secondary school age qualify for free school transport if they live over 3 miles from their catchment school, next nearest if catchment is full.  

No forms are required to be completed and signed and letters/passes/timetables will be sent directly to home addresses no later than Friday 20 August 2021.  

 

Only pupils who were late enrolments, have recently moved address or will be entering Post 16 in September (Year 12) will need to contact the school transport team:

 

  • New Intake - Reception & Year 7  

    All the Reception and Year 7 pupils have been assessed and the entitled children will be sent a letter/bus pass to their home address by Friday 20 August 2021 so if there any problems we have plenty of time to make adjustments over the summer holidays. If you have not received your bus pass or letter by Friday 20 August 2021 please contact the school transport team:

  • Year 1 to Year 11  

    All existing pupils that have had free school transport this year will automatically receive a letter/bus pass which will be sent to the parent/guardian home address (please contact us if you have moved recently) along with the policy summary, travel behaviour code and route timetable. If you have not received your bus pass/letter by Friday 20 August 2021 please contact the school transport team:

  • Post 16 Pupils (Year 12-Year 13)  

    Pupils who are entering Year 12 wishing to continue their studies from September 2021 (attending their catchment school or St David’s College) will need to inform the school transport team no later than Monday 26 July 2021 in order to receive their pass for the beginning of September.  

     

    Please email 2021schooltransport@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk at your earliest convenience with the following information:-  

    • Name of child

    • Date of birth  

    • Address

    • Contact number

    • School

    • Route number (if known)  

     

    POST 16 SCHOOL TRANSPORT 2021-22

     

     

    Please note: Those pupils who qualify for free school transport agree to adhere to the Vale of Glamorgan Council Schools transport policy and Welsh Government travel behaviour code.

Non-entitled Pupils 

  • Purchase a bus pass on a contracted school service  

    Applications for Academic Year 2020-21

    Those pupils who do not qualify for free school transport but wish to purchase a spare seat on a contracted school bus can complete and send in an application from Monday, 17th August 2020. Application forms will be linked to this page on this date to avoid early submission and will be treated on a first come first served basis.

     

     

    Applications for Academic Year 2021-22

    A revised application form will be made available here as soon as possible on Monday, 26th July 2021.  Please do not use the application form for 2020-21, as they will not be accepted.  In addition, please note that applications for purchase passes commencing September 2021 will only be accepted on a ‘first come, first served’ basis from the first Monday of the summer holidays (i.e. 26th July 2021) after 12.00 AM; please do not submit your request until after this date and time as any requests received before this will not be accepted.

     

    Please note:

     

     

     

    • The cost of a pass is £300 per academic year (i.e. 2021-22).  However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, you will be invoiced £100 towards the end of each academic term in case further lockdowns or school closures are enforced and payments need to be recalculated pro-rata.  Non-payment for a purchase pass by the end of each term will result in forfeiture of the space allocated for the following term(s).

    • That the Council has to allocate Post 16 pupils who may not decide to re-attend school/college until after results day in late August. Therefore, the Council may not be able to allocate purchase pass applications until the third week of September 2021, at the earliest.

    • Due to Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), the Council is unable to sell spare capacity on certain services (i.e. those vehicles that are not PSVAR compliant or have received temporary permission until the end of the academic year 2020-21 from the Department of Transport).  In such circumstances we will advise following your application submission.

     

    Completed application forms should be emailed to:


     

  • Fare Paying Services

    As stated in our letter to parents/carers, school transport has given you advanced notice that the following ‘fare paying’ school transport services will be withdrawn or revised as detailed below from 1st September 2020.  Parents and guardians of pupils who are not entitled to free home to school transport will therefore need to make their own alternative arrangements to get to school. Please note that the agreed Report has no implications with regard to the provision of free home to school transport for entitled children that will continue to be maintained.

     

    The fare paying element of the following services will no longer be running from September 2020, these include routes: 351, P97, P122, P125, P132, P133, P135, P138, P139, S40, S51. The following services are going to continue are S2, S10, S14 (Whitmore, Pencoedtre & Ysgol Bro), & S49 (SRG).

     

     

    If you wish to purchase a pass for a fare-paying service, please contact the Watts Coaches directly for the following services costs, times and route on Watts Coaches:

    • 01446 781277

     

 

Primary School Bus Timetables
Secondary School Bus Timetables

 

Free School Transport

If you wish to enquire about free school transport (including St David's R/C College and other year 12/13 students), please e-mail with the following information:

  • Name of Child:
  • Date of Birth:
  • Home Address:
  • Contact Number: 
  • School:
  • Route Number (if known):  

 

Please note: Free school transport will not be provided if, as a result of parental preference, your child attends another school other than the nearest school or designated catchment area school.

 

Buy a School Bus Pass

Those pupils who do not qualify for free school transport but wish to purchase a spare seat on a contracted school bus can complete and send in an application from Monday, 26 July 2021. A revised application form will be made available here as soon as possible on Monday, 26th July 2021.  Please do not use the application form for 2020-21, as they will not be accepted.  In addition, please note that applications for purchase passes commencing September 2021 will only be accepted on a ‘first come, first served’ basis from the first Monday of the summer holidays (i.e. 26th July 2021) after 12.00 AM; please do not submit your request until after this date and time as any requests received before this will not be accepted.

 

Please note:

  • The cost of a pass is £300 per academic year (i.e. 2021-22).  However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, you will be invoiced £100 towards the end of each academic term in case further lockdowns or school closures are enforced and payments need to be recalculated pro-rata.  Non-payment for a purchase pass by the end of each term will result in forfeiture of the space allocated for the following term(s).

  • That the Council has to allocate Post 16 pupils who may not decide to re-attend school/college until after results day in late August. Therefore, the Council may not be able to allocate purchase pass applications until the third week of September 2021, at the earliest.

  • Due to Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), the Council is unable to sell spare capacity on certain services (i.e. those vehicles that are not PSVAR compliant or have received temporary permission until the end of the academic year 2020-21 from the Department of Transport).  In such circumstances we will advise following your application submission. 

Completed application forms should be emailed to:

  

 

Passenger Transport Unit

The Vale of Glamorgan Council

Alps Depot and Offices

Alps Quarry Road

Wenvoe

CF5 6AA

 

If you wish to purchase a pass for a fare-paying service, please contact the bus operator directly. 

 

Replacement Bus Pass

Replacements passes can be obtained from the Passenger Transport Unit with an administration charge of £10 levied for each replacement pass.