Free school travel

If your child meets the eligibility criteria, they may be able to get a pass for free travel to school.

Eligibility

Our free school transport policy outlines the full eligibility criteria.

The following summarises our eligibility criteria:

Group 1

Pupils whose nearest qualifying school is outside ‘walking distance’.

‘Walking distance’ is more than:

  • 2 miles for children under the age of 8
  • 3 miles for children aged 8 to 16

Group 2

Pupils from low-income families travelling to:

  • one of the nearest 3 qualifying schools where they live more than 2 miles but less than 6 miles from that school
  • the nearest school preferred by reason of a parent’s faith or belief, where the school is more than 2 miles but less than 15 miles from the child’s home

Group 3

Pupils who move into Stockport from another area, are in years 10 or 11, want to stay at their current school and will have to travel more than 3 miles to that school.

Things to note

  • low income is defined as pupils who are eligible for free school meals or parents eligible for the any level of Working Tax Credit. Proof will be required
  • the distance between home and school is measured by the shortest available walking route
  • the law defines a qualifying school as a school with places available that provides education appropriate to the age, ability and aptitude of the child
  • when a dispute occurs between a parent / guardian and the council, the distance between home and school is measured by one of our officers using the urban path network from our Geographical Information System (GIS)
Faith schools

Unless eligible, as defined within our policy, we will not provide a bus pass for pupils attending denominational schools.

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

Children with EHCPs are not eligible for this scheme, but there are other types of support available.

Find out about travel support for children and young people with SEND.

Support after year 11

Young people aged 16 and up who are over school age are not eligible, but there are other types of support available.

Find out more about travel support for young people aged 16 and up.

Extended eligibility: low-income families (from 2026/27)

From the beginning of the 2026/27 academic year, all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals (FSM).

There will be 2 categories of benefits-based free school meals:

  • targeted FSM: for pupils who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of no more than £7,400
  • expanded FSM: for pupils who do not qualify for targeted FSM, but who are in households receiving Universal Credit

This Universal Credit expansion means more children qualify for FSM, but transport eligibility is restricted to lower income threshold (£7,400). Therefore, only children eligible for targeted FSM qualify for free travel under extended rights (group 2).

Extended eligibility applies where the child is either:

  • 8 to 10 years old, attends their nearest suitable school, and lives over 2 miles away
  • 11 to 16 years old and attends one of their 3 nearest suitable schools between 2 and 6 miles away
  • 11 to 16 years old and attends a faith school 2 to 15 miles away, where no nearer suitable school aligns with their religion or belief

Transitional protections maintained for pupils eligible before 31 March 2026.

Where a child was eligible for extended transport rights on 31 March 2026 and continues to meet the eligibility criteria set out above, the Department for Education expects local authorities to continue providing free travel for them until they complete their current phase of education or leave their current school, whichever is sooner.

Applications for 2026 to 2027

The application for free school travel passes for September 2026 opened from Friday 1 May.

Apply for free school travel

Replacement free school travel passes

If your child has lost their free school travel pass, you can get a replacement by contacting TfGM.

If your application is refused

Find out what happens if your application for free school travel is refused.