Have your say on proposed changes to assisted travel for children and young people in Wirral 

A consultation seeking residents views on proposed changes to how some children and young people travel to school across Wirral has been launched.  

The survey will give residents the chance to have their say on potential changes to two assisted travel policies; the Home to School Transport for children aged 5 to 16 and the post-16 Transport Statement for older children and young people.  

These policies set out how the council supports a small number of pupils who find it difficult to travel to school or college without some assistance. Both policies are due for review, having not been refreshed for a number of years. While there is a need to make savings and reduce the environmental impact of the service, the council is also looking at how it can utilise some of the savings to help more children and young people travel independently.  

The consultation will be asking parents, carers and the young people who use the service for their views on the possible changes but is also open to any resident who would like to have a say. 

Currently around 2,200 children and young people get to school using transport provided by the council. This includes approximately 1,900 children up to age 16 and 230 aged 16 and over.  

Cllr Stephen Bennett, Chair of the Children, Young People and Education committee for Wirral Council, said: “We want to make sure we provide modern services that help our SEND children and young people develop and grow in the future. To do this we need to ensure we have a stable financial footing with sustainable costs – while offering a service that supports the young people who need it the most. 

“Home to School Transport will cost the council £12.5 million for the 2024/25 financial year and based on current projections, this is expected to rise further. We’re also hearing that, like us, councils across the country are struggling with a shortage of transport providers, suitable vehicles, and qualified drivers. Given these challenges, the polices have been reviewed and we now need input from local people to shape how we move forward.” 

The consultation will outline three main changes proposed for the policies. These are:   

• Where parents/carers choose to transport their children to school, the council is proposing to change the Personal Transport Budget to include an extra £3 per day paid to parents/carers accessing this support. This reflects the additional fixed costs of transport for parents/carers taking their child to school and is in addition to the existing 45p per mile for a return journey to the education setting.
• Introducing a contribution of £680 for assisted transport to school for young people over the age of 16 with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Transport door to door for a Wirral child, on average costs £4,500 per year. The £680 will be a contribution towards this cost and the council will continue to cover the remaining cost. This contribution would not apply to Children Looked After, Care Leavers or students who qualify for free school meals.
• Updating the policy that covered compulsory school aged transport to include the age range 0-4 as it currently only covers ages 5-16. Although the council does not have a statutory responsibility to provide transport for this age group, they have been included as there are some exceptional circumstances where the council will provide support 

A key aim of changing the assisted travel policies is to enable the council to fund more Independent Travel Training. This is one-to-one travel support to teach young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) the skills, knowledge and confidence to use public transport on their own. As part of this increased independence, the consultation survey will also ask for views on the introduction of pick up points, where young people who have the capability, and support, could be collected for their transport from central points such as bus stops. 

Cllr Bennett said: “Being able to offer Independent Travel Training to more young people sets them up with a skill that will help them now and in the future. We have strong aspirations for our young people with SEND in Wirral and believe that with the right support, we can foster independence and confidence in traveling by public transport.”  

The consultation will run from Monday 13 October 2025 until Sunday 4 January 2026.  

Any feedback received will be collected and reviewed by the Children, Young People and Education Committee in March 2026 and used to inform decisions on policy change. Anyone who currently receives transport, or a travel pass, will not be affected by any changes whilst they are in their current school or college course. If changes to the policies are agreed these will not take place until September 2026.   

How to have your say

Visit www.haveyoursay.wirral.gov.uk/assisted-travel-review to complete the survey, where you can also find a full summary of the proposed changes to both policies, as well as a list of Frequently Asked Questions.

You can request a paper copy of the survey, which is also available in Easy Read, here: Assisted Travel Review Survey Request Form .