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.

Applications for 2026 to 2027

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

We recommend you apply early, as all applications submitted before 30 June 2026 will be guaranteed to be processed.

If your child is eligible, they’ll receive their pass before the beginning of term in September 2026.

Apply for free school travel

After you've applied

You do not need to chase your application.

Please allow until early August for a response. If you haven’t heard from us by 26 August, you can contact us then.

Applications received after 30 June 2026 will be processed in order of the date they are received.

We cannot guarantee a response by the beginning of term in September.

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.